Bill Rutsey, president of the Canadian Gaming Association, on Wednesday night struck a nerve during the public consultation meeting on casinos.
But Gord Perks was one of several Toronto City Councillors who confronted the pro-gambling lobbyist after his submission to a packed gallery at City Hall. The town hall style meeting was the first time residents were able to voice their opinions on a proposed casino for Toronto.
?I hope that the next time you come to make a deputation and you encourage us to look at facts, or the next time you write my office and encourage me to look at facts, you present facts,? Councillor ?Gord Perks (Ward 14) said.
Close to 40 speakers addressed the Toronto and East York Community Council. Most urged councillors to create zoning restrictions to prevent the development of a ?destination-resort? style mega casino expected to be built on Toronto?s waterfront.
?Study after study have shown that a mega casino will cannibalize the local tourist, entertainment and restaurant businesses,? Maureen Lynett, founder of No Casino Toronto, said. ?A mega casino will be detrimental to Toronto and it should not receive the support of councill.
The casino development proposal is part of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation?s modernization plan. Launched last March, the modernization program calls for expanded ?private sector delivery of lottery and gaming.?
The proposal scares OLG employee Theo Lagakos.
?The plan will cannibalize other gaming jobs,? he said. ?It will choke the supply of gaming in rural communities to artificially inflate demand for a casino in Toronto.?
Bill Rutsey disagreed, calling the project a ?once in a lifetime opportunity.? He also outlined the potential creation of 12,000 new permanent jobs.
?When you look at the facts, you see that the fears that have been raised simply do not come to pass,? Rutsey said. ?We are suggesting that people look past the myths and misperceptions that are put forth by people who are opposed to gaming for moral and other reasons.?
Rutsey called gambling the ?most popular form of entertainment in this country.?
Most of the downtown core already has zoning restrictions against gaming establishments. The notable exception is the Canadian National Exhibition grounds.
The Executive committee will review a staff report on the viability of a casino on Nov. 5.
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Source: http://www.torontoobserver.ca/2012/10/11/torontonians-speak-out-on-proposed-casino/
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