The executive committee has voted in favour of expanding gambling options at Woodbine Racetrack.
Committee members voted 10-3 in favour of the item late Tuesday night. Councillors Paul Ainslie, Denzil Minnan-Wong and James Pasternak voted against expansion.
The matter will now go before city council next week.
According to a staff report released last week, the addition of 2,000 electronic gaming machines and 300 table games at Woodbine could bring in an additional $12.5 million to $19.5 million in annual revenue on top of the $15 million a year that the city already receives from the facility.
Executive committee voted in favour of a motion that would authorize the city manager to negotiate and enter into an agreement with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation for the expansion of gambling at the Rexdale racetrack.
The motion also stipulates that the OLG select a service provider that will work with Woodbine Entertainment Group to create a “comprehensive development plan” for the facility that “includes non-gaming related uses” and results in an “integrated entertainment complex.”
“While I am not going to diminish jobs that might happen in an expanded casino operation, those are not the jobs that I am most interested in. I am interested in the other kinds of jobs, jobs that come from conference facilities that may exist there or jobs that come from a new hotel or expanded retail facilities,” Mayor John Tory told reporters during a break in the meeting earlier Tuesday.
“My enthusiasm in this will diminish considerably if there aren’t proposals that come forward that accompany the gambling and do other things to create those kinds of long lasting jobs that people need in the northwest corner of the city.”
While the Board of Health and a number of city councillors have expressed their opposition to expanding gambling at Woodbine due to the potential social implications, Tory said that he believes there is “broad support” for the idea among executive committee members.
The mayor also noted that today’s motion is really just about giving the city leverage as it seeks proposals for the development of a wider complex at Woodbine that would potentially include a hotel, conference facilities, restaurants and entertainment venues.
“I want jobs in that part of the city, I believe this can help and the only way to find out if it is going to attract additional investment is to say that we would be willing to take the step of allowing casino table gaming at Woodbine,” Tory said.
In 2013, council voted against expanding gaming at Woodbine and building a casino downtown in separate decisions.
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