John Holer, the founder of the Niagara Falls amusement park Marineland, which over the years attracted both revellers and protesters, died on Saturday.He was 83.Holer, who had been ill in recent months, was a “visionary” and “leader in the tourism industry,” said Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati.“He was a pillar, and he was a pioneer,” said Diodati. “He created a lot of opportunity for a lot of people and (his death) is a loss to the community.”He credited Holer with creating thousands of jobs, helping folks put food on the table and countless kids pay for college and university tuition. Diodati said Holer’s legendary marketing prowess — as evident in the commercial jingle “Everyone Loves Marineland” — brought millions of visitors to Niagara Falls, filling hotel rooms.But in reality, not everyone loves Marineland, which has for years been embroiled in controversy, including the alleged mistreatment of animals.Marineland has always maintained its animals are well-treated and allegations of abuse are not true. Still, animal welfare activists have fought for years to shut it down, at times protesting outside the park’s main entrance.Diodati believes Marineland, a family-owned company, is now at a “crossroads.” It can continue as is or, given its size of about 1,000 acres, it can be sold to housing developers, currently buying up land in the region. Or it can be sold to, or transformed into, an amusement park without animals. Over the years, some of the world’s biggest amusement companies have tried to buy it, but Holer refused to sell because the park was his life, said Diodati.“I would love to see it continue as an amusement park without the animals,” he said. “I think it would be wildly successful, it would be welcome and it would help to feed into the critical mass of tourist attractions.”On Sunday, the Star was unable to reach Holer’ ...
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