HOW TO BRING PEOPLE TO T.O. -- MAKE TOURISM A JOINT EFFORT

Two recent developments are creating problems in Toronto-area communities
- -- Toronto particularly. But we could feel the repercussions here in
Niagara unless something is done about them.

The biggest problem is the large drop in tourism this season, especially in
Toronto. The lack of tourists from such usually reliable markets as the
U.S. has caused major theatre productions to announce they're closing and
threatens to hurt such large events as Caribana, the Molson Indy and the
Gay Pride parade.

On Friday, the federal government announced it would spend $17.5 million to
promote Toronto and Canada as safe tourist havens in the wake of the SARS
outbreak -- $10 million to support events and festivals in the greater
Toronto area, from Niagara to cottage country, and another $7.5 million to
other regions of the country hurt by the drop in tourism. A federal ad
campaign in American newspapers promotes travel to Canada in general;
Toronto gets only passing mention, which doesn't do the desperate city any
good.

The second problem is the confusion that continues over possession of less
than 30 grams of marijuana. Police chiefs in Ontario are increasingly
telling their officers to show discretion when dealing with possession of
small amounts of pot.

For the time being, officers in Toronto, Niagara and elsewhere will process
the cases and do the paperwork, but they will not press charges. Whether or
not those caught will be charged depends upon the outcome of a Department
of Justice appeal of last month's Supreme Court ruling that the current
possession law is no longer valid.

But there's a way to turn both these lemons into lemonade: Desperate times
call for desperate measures.

The government could spend the money to promote Toronto as the Amsterdam of
the North, a multicultural tourist haven where you can smoke pot legally.
That will be huge with the doobie brothers and sisters who will come up
here in droves -- and vans -- to spend their American dollars.

If we can get them to stay a couple of days, the hotel business will get a
boost. And of course, when they get the munchies, the tourists will be able
to dine in style in the city's many fine restaurants -- although they will
be smoke-free, of course.

Toronto would gain publicity they couldn't buy even with a Rolling Stones
concert; the Grateful Dead fans alone could save the city's economy.

Of course, this would all hinge upon trusting the federal government to
come up with an ad campaign that would get the message across. They didn't
do a very good job of promoting Toronto this time, and they couldn't
successfully run a marijuana grow operation in that abandoned mine in Flin
Flon. They also said they'd rescind the GST.

On second thought, perhaps this is a job for private enterprise. And maybe
instead of bringing in the Stones we could reunite Cheech and Chong. That
would not only save us the $10-million concert cost, it would help sell the
message that Toronto is once again open for business, and visitors don't
have to keep off the grass.