Search Results for “1991 Pan Am games” – Freedom Party of Ontario Archive

Search Results : 1991 Pan Am games

Letter from Sport Minister to Robert Metz re: 1991 Pan Am Games funding (June 17, 1985)

All, Letters

Jun 171985

Contents:
Freedom Party’s campaign against taxpayer funding for the 1991 Pan Am Games met with success in June of 1985. Otto Jelinek, Canada’s Minister of State, Fitness, and Amateur Sport, announced that the federal government would not fund the 1991 Pan Am Games. Without federal tax funding, the London bid committee’s bid to host the 1991 Pan Am Games would fail.

Freedom Party’s No Tax for Pan Am Committee had distributed cards to Londoners which they could sign and send to Jelinek, asking that the games not be funded with federal tax revenues. Jelinek replied Robert Metz’s card with this letter, advising that there would be no federal funding for the games. Continue reading »

Marc Emery and Robert Metz versus Gord Hume and London’s 1991 Pan Am Games Bid Committee

All, FPO Featured

Jun 071985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
Following Freedom Party’s successful effort to oppose taxpayer funding for London’s bid to host the 1991 Pan Am Games, the London Bid Committee met with the Mayor of London to canvas ways in which to save the bid. Among the options proposed by the Bid Committee was to have the federal government commit to contribute $37M after the end of the federal government’s five-year games-funding moratorium.

Wayne McLean, host of AM980’s show Hotline, asked his listeners if they want the Bid Committee to continue its efforts to host the 1991 Pan Am Games. McLean invited Freedom Party Action Director Marc Emery for his view on the question. Thereafter, McLean had Bid Committee Chair Gord Hume in-studio to discuss the status of the Bid Committee’s effort and to field calls from listeners. One of those callers was Freedom Party president Robert Metz, who also was Chair of the No Tax for Pan Am Committee. After pointing out to Hume the large number of polls in London indicating that the taxpayer does not want to fund the games, Hume played the smear card, saying that Metz is president of a “radical right wing” political party, as though that were an answer to the public’s condemnation of the Bid Committee’s aims. Metz’s point was reinforced at the end of the show, when listeners were polled: 20 of the 29 people who called in said that the Bid Committee did not have their support. Ultimately, the Bid Committee failed to get the government money that it wanted.

Marc Emery Excerpt

Robert Metz Excerpt

Complete Recording

Marc Emery on the defeat of London’s 1991 Pan Am Games bid

All, FPO Featured

Jun 051985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
On June 5, 1985, the Canadian federal government announced that there would be no more federal funding of organized sports events until at least 1990. Freedom Party Action Director Marc Emery and Robert Metz’s No Tax for Pan Am Committee (a committee formed by Freedom Party) had steadily opposed taxpayer funding for London’s bid to host the 1991 Pan Am Games. Flyers and newsletters had been distributed throughout London, and numerous radio and TV appearances of Emery, Metz, and other No Tax for Pan Am activists had tipped popular opinion against taxpayer funding for the games. The federal decision effectively killed the London Bid Committee’s bid to have London host the 1991 Pan Am Games (the London bid committee was comprised largely of local business owners and building contractors who hoped to make a lot of money as a result of taxpayer funding for such things as the building of sports arenas).

On the evening of June 5, 1985, AM980’s Sports Call program interviewed three pro-bid individuals (London East Member of Parliment Jim Jepson; Darwin Semotiuk of the London Bid Committee; and London City Controller Joe Fontana who later would be a London MP, and a London Mayor*), followed by Marc Emery. During their respective interviews, Fontana predicted that the federal government’s decision would be very unpopular, but Emery predicted it would be popular. Thereafter, the program asked listeners to call in and indicate whether they were for or against the federal government’s decision not to fund the games. Emery was right: 74% of callers supported the federal government’s decision not to fund the games with taxpayer money.

*NOTE: In 2014, Joe Fontana resigned as City Mayor after he was found guilty of three fraud-related offences for forging an expense document in 2005 that resulted in a $1,700 government fraud

Marc Emery Excerpt

Complete Recording

Robert Metz and Marc Emery on London’s Taxpayer-funded 1991 Pan Am Games Bid

All, FPO Featured

Feb 041985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
On February 4, 1985, Darwin Semotiuk (member of London’s 1991 Pan Am Games Bid Committee) and Marc Emery (Freedom Party’s Action Director) were guests of the Wayne McLean Talk Show. The topic: taxpayer funding for London, Ontario’s bid for the 1991 Pan Am Games. McLean first interviews Semotiuk, who fields calls including a rather spirited call from Freedom Party president Robert Metz. Thereafter, Emery is interviewed and fields calls from various other London callers to the program.

Excerpt – Robert Metz vs. Darwin Semotiuk:

Complete Recording

Marc Emery on Sports Call re: London bid for the 1991 Pan Am Games

All, FPO Featured

Jan 241985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
On January 24, 1985, AM980’s Sports Call program interviewed Freedom Party Action Director Marc Emery to understand the case against the London bid committee’s bid to host the 1991 Pan Am Games. After explaining that we oppose the bid because it sticks the taxpayer with a hefty bill for the games, the show interviewed Darwin Semotiuk of the London Bid Committee.

Complete Recording

Marc Emery and Gord Hume profiled in CHRW report on London’s bid for the 1991 Pan Am Games

All, FPO Featured

Jan 231985

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:
On January 23, 1985, CHRW 94.7 FM’s “Forum” program interviewed Freedom Party Action Director Marc Emery about the London bid committee’s bid for London to host the 1991 Pan Am Games at taxpayer expense. Emery and Freedom Party’s No Tax for Pan Am Games Committee opposed the bid on the ground that it would leave taxpayers footing the bill to host the games, and to pay for the white elephants left behind.

Also interviewed was bid booster Gord Hume.

Complete Recording

The London Citizens’ Guide to the Tax-Paid Games 1991 Pan Am Games (v.2)

All, FPO Booklets

Oct 171984

Description:
After Freedom Party distributed – to 20,000 Londoners – a letter from Marc Emery opposing taxpayer funding for London City council’s bid to host the 1991 Pan Am Games, Emery prepared a second document, which he titled “The London Citizens’ Guide to the Tax-Paid 1991 Pan-Am Games Bid”. Like the letter that preceded it, the second publication again was distributed by Freedom Party beginning on October 9, 1984 and this – the second version – was distributed beginning on October 17, 1984. In the guide, Emery described v. 2 of the guide as follows:

This is the second (and now, newly revised and updated) 1991 Pan-Am bid information package that I’ve prepared for my neighbours in London. Its purpose? To illustrate and voice my strong disagreement with the principle of tax dollars being used to host the event in London. To this end, I’ve examined city hall’s record of intervention in the realm of business, art, and culture, while always bearing in mind the many other projects city council is considering — or has already committed itself to.

NOTE: Another version of the “The London Citizens’ Guide to the Tax-Paid 1991 Pan-Am Games Bid” booklet was printed a little over one week earlier and distribution of that version started on October 9, 1984. Notably, the earlier version had been a City Lights bookstore public service (City Lights was Emery’s bookstore), whereas this second version was billed a public service of both the bookstore and the newly created (by Freedom Party) No-Tax for Pan-Am Committee, chaired by Freedom Party president Robert Metz. Both versions are available in this archive. Continue reading »

Joe Fontana versus Marc Emery on a Taxpayer funding for the 1991 Pan Am Games

All, FPO Panelist

Jul 241984

AUDIO – DESCRIPTION:

In July of 1984, then Freedom Party of Ontario Action Director Marc Emery, together with volunteers from the Freedom Party of Ontario, went door-to-door distributing a letter opposed to taxpayer funding for the Pan Am Games. A local contingent of businessmen and municipal politicians had tendered a bid for London, Ontario to host the 1991 games, and the bid included a budget in which taxpayers would be stuck with picking up the lions’ share of the tab. Emery had submitted his letter to the local London Free Press, which had declined to print it. After Emery’s letter was distributed door-to-door, a No Tax for Pan Am Games Committee was formed, which published a number of newsletters to keep opponents of taxpayer funding for the games aware of developments. Ultimately, in early 1985, Emery and Freedom Party were successful: thanks largely to their organized opposition to taxpayer funding for the games, public outcry against public funding for the games ultimately resulted in Canada’s then federal Minister of State for Fitness and Amateur Sport, Otto Jelinek, issuing the announcement of a 5 year freeze on taxpayer funding for sporting events. The London bid was dead. The 1991 Pan Am Games were held in Cuba, at the expense of Cuban taxpayers.

In this Radio 98 episode of Wayne McLean’s show “Hotline”, Marc Emery and then London alderman Joe Fontana debated taxpayer funding for the London Pan Am Games bid.

Note: This audio is captured from a cassette tape. The recording on side 2 of the tape suffers from speeding-up and slowing down of the tape that appears to have been caused by variable slowing of the tape reel during the recording of the broadcast (the tape, itself, is not stretched or creased or otherwise damaged and the cassette mechanism moves freely). This digital capture plays side 2 continuously after side 1, such that the audio irregularities are heard during the second half of the recording.

Marc Emery’s door-to-door mailer against tax-funding for London’s 1991 Pan Am Games bid

All, Letters

Jul 171984

Description:
In the summer of 1984, Freedom Party Action Director Marc Emery wrote a letter to the editor of the London Free Press opposing taxpayer funding for London, Ontario’s City council’s bid for the 1991 Pan Am Games. It was so heavily edited by the paper, that Emery decided to print 20,000 copies of a letter. With Freedom Party co-ordinating 15 volunteers, the letter was delivered door-to-door to Londoners. It would mark the beginning of a Freedom Party campaign that, in June of 1985, met with success. This scan of the original newsletter includes a media release that was sent along with the letter on July 23, 1984. Continue reading »

The London Citizens’ Guide to the Tax-Paid 1991 Pan-Am Games Bid (v.1)

All, FPO Booklets

Oct 091984

Description:
After Freedom Party distributed – to 20,000 Londoners – a letter from Marc Emery opposing taxpayer funding for London City council’s bid to host the 1991 Pan Am Games, Emery prepared a second document, which he titled “The London Citizens’ Guide to the Tax-Paid 1991 Pan-Am Games Bid”. Like the letter that preceded it, the second publication again was distributed by Freedom Party beginning on October 9, 1984. In the guide, Emery described v. 1 of the guide as follows:

This is the second 1991 Pan-Am bid information package that I’ve prepared for my neighbours in London. Its purpose? To illustrate and voice my strong disagreement with the principle of tax dollars being used to host the event in London. To this end, I’ve examined city hall’s record of intervention in the realm of business, art, and culture, while always bearing in mind the many other projects city council is considering — or has already committed itself to.

NOTE: A second, slightly revised version of the “The London Citizens’ Guide to the Tax-Paid 1991 Pan-Am Games Bid” booklet was printed and distribution of that version started on October 17, 1984. Notably, whereas the first had been a City Lights bookstore public service (City Lights was Emery’s bookstore), the second version was billed a public service of both the bookstore and the newly created (by Freedom Party) No-Tax for Pan-Am Committed, chaired by Freedom Party president Robert Metz. Both versions are available in this archive. Continue reading »

Older Entries