Atlantic Lotto Crackdown Unlikely

NOVA SCOTIA – As reported by the Canadian Press: "Canada's four Atlantic provinces can do little more than encourage the Atlantic Lottery Corp. to be more open and accountable, says Nova Scotia's justice minister.

"The agency, owned jointly by Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island, doesn't fall under the direct jurisdiction of any government, Michael Baker said Monday.

"…There were calls Monday in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick for the provinces to keep a tighter rein on the lottery corporation after a Halifax newspaper raised questions about the agency's CEO, Michelle Carinci.

"Carinci's husband, Jan, works for the Bristol Group, an advertising firm the corporation deals with, and he helped plan the opening of a racino in Charlottetown.

"…New Brunswick's ombudsman, Nova Scotia's freedom-of-information review officer and the province's auditor general have all called for their governments to gain a legal hold over the gaming corporation that would force it to be more accountable.

"While not an impossible suggestion, Baker said it would take a lot of political wheeling and dealing among the four provinces to accomplish something like that…"