Consumers’ Association calls for judicial inquiry into OLG
from www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2007/04/02/lottery-inquiry.html
Last Updated: Monday, April 2, 2007 | 2:18 PM ET CBC News
The Consumers’ Association of Canada is seeking a judicial inquiry into the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, saying consumers have a right to know about the group’s operations and practices.
“If it hadn’t been for Bob Edmonds who won a $250,000 prize which was stolen by a sick ticket seller this probably wouldn’t have come to light,” association president Bruce Cran said Monday.
‘What we see here is the ombudsman scratching the surface. What else is going on here?’–Bruce Cran, Consumers’ Association of Canada
“The lottery commission spent something like $600,000 trying to prevent him from collecting his prize. And the recent ombudsman’s report didn’t delve back into the history of what’s happening here and we feel that consumers are entitled to know what’s going on here.”
The consumer advocacy group is also calling a ban on retailers purchasing lottery tickets.
Profits over customer service: ombudsman
Last Monday, provincial Ombudsman André Marin released a report suggesting that the current lottery system prioritizes profits over customer service.
Marin also said the corporation should be monitored by an independent regulator.
The OLG has been ordered to turn over relevant files to the Ontario Provincial Police so the force can determine if it’s necessary to launch a criminal investigation.
Marin launched the probe last October after the CBC’s Fifth Estate aired an investigative report suggesting a disproportionate number of lottery retailers won large prizes in the past seven years.
Cran suggested a judicial inquiry would yield more information into the operations of the OLG.
“What we see here is the ombudsman scratching the surface. What else is going on here?” he said. “We also find out there’s 140 people in this organization getting $100,000 a year or more — some of them over double that — what are they doing? How is this lottery run?
“I don’t think any of us really know what’s going on here. And don’t forget that the ombudsman also didn’t look into prizes under $25,000.”
Since the release of Marin’s report, opposition parties have called for the resignation of Public Infrastructure Renewal Minister David Caplan. The provincial government has not responded to calls for an inquiry.
