Casino advocates angle to curse us with one

‘Let us not lose sight of the fact that the OLG’s mission — repeated in their media interviews, their website, and other forms of communication — is to establish a casino in the GTA and to generate more revenue from increased gambling’

By Pam McConnell –

The City Manager’s report on a proposal for a Toronto casino has been delayed. We had anticipated the report to be issued this week, in advance of the Executive Committee meeting on March 20, and consideration by Council at the beginning of April.

The reason offered for the delay is to receive more information from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). While I firmly believe that elected representatives and the public should have as much information as possible before making important decisions, I am sceptical about this delay.

Let us not lose sight of the fact that the OLG’s mission – repeated in their media interviews, their website, and other forms of communication – is to establish a casino in the GTA and to generate more revenue from increased gambling. Because of this objective, their assessment and forecasts are heavily biased in favour of a casino. For example, their projections on the amount the City would receive in hosting fees continue to drop, yet they insist on publicly presenting this as one of the prime incentives in order to fulfill their agenda. As I have previously said, this casino is not about bringing new funds to the city but to increase revenues for the OLG and the province.

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The OLG have also embarked on an aggressive media and marketing campaign that is dedicated to benefiting private casino operators to the detriment of our communities. It is truly disappointing that a government agency would exhibit so little regard for the public good.

Meanwhile, various casino operators are stepping up their efforts to lobby and persuade councillors and the public – through large ads in our largest newspapers, through private briefings with elected representatives, through downplaying the casino with terms like “entertainment facility” and “integrated resort”. Like the OLG’s own marketing and communications campaign, the promises of the number of jobs, the wages, the number of tourists, and revenues and amenities to the city and residents do not bear scrutiny and are out of step with experiences in other jurisdictions. In fact, similar promises and predictions were made for the Revel resort in Atlantic City, which opened last April and has just filed for bankruptcy protection.

I would like to assure residents of our community that I have not met with casino operators, and I have no intention of meeting with any in the future. My position on a casino in Toronto has remained unchanged: a casino would be bad for our city and I cannot support it.

Residents who have called and written to me are overwhelmingly opposed to a casino. While I am appreciative of the support and am confident that I am representing our community’s position, I am asking you to reach out to your friends, family, and co-workers who live in other parts of the city. Talk to them about the type of city you want to live in and why a casino does not fit into the goal of a safe, beautiful, and prosperous Toronto. Ask them to sign the on-line petition at nocasinotoronto.com and to contact their local Councillors.

I truly believe that the voices from Torontonians should – and do – have more influence than rosy artist renditions, aggressive lobbyists, and hollow promises. Together we will continue to build a city we can all be proud of.