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| Lazy Bones |
Wednesday, May 21, 2003
SARS Stones event stalled
By BILL RODGERS -- Sun Media
OTTAWA -- The Stones won't be rolling into Toronto to play a free concert this summer.
Grit MP Dennis Mills, who was trying to organize the huge concert to show the world that Toronto was a safe place to visit after the SARS crisis, told Sun Media he needed a $10-million commitment from the feds by last night for the concert to go ahead in late July.
"We need the guarantee. I don't have time to go out and visit 100 corporate sponsors," said Mills.
But the Toronto-Danforth MP said he had already received commitments from corporate Canada for at least $2 million and could probably raise another $3 million from big business.
The Prime Minister's Office, while not ruling out a taxpayer contribution, was refusing, however, to play the deadline game with Mills yesterday.
"We're looking at everything and anything but decisions have not been made on that kind of contribution yet," Chretien's senior spokesman Jim Munson said.
He added that the federal government hasn't been ignoring Canada's largest city since the deadly SARS outbreak.
"We've had a battle plan for Toronto in terms of helping out in a massive tourism campaign, in terms of Employment Insurance and housing relief for people. Our whole package adds up to about a $100 million when the bills come in, and we're looking at everything."
Mills denied yesterday's deadline for an answer was artificial and insisted the financing pledge was necessary just to get the Rolling Stones to agree to appear.
"It's not just the Stones. It's every other Canadian band and all the logistics ... I mean, you need time to organize these damn things," said Mills.
He said the feds could have recovered a good portion of any investment it made in the venture.
"If 500,000 people come for a weekend and they each spend $200, the GST and the PST is $15 million in one weekend, not to mention the international bonus."
Mills also warned that the Liberals could pay a political price by failing to act. |
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| Martha |
Boooooooooooooooo |
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| polytoxic |
It's not completely over yet
Fran Curtis, a publicist for the Rolling Stones in Manhattan, said she was unaware of yesterday's deadline. "I don't get the feeling that that's the definitive deadline," she said. |
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| Martha |
Yaaaaaaaay! |
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| MarthaMyDear |
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!! Just playing, Martha!!! lol.............................
:P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P :P   
*** Martha *** |
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