The casino debate in Toronto is now dead because the province has not committed to giving the city a $100-million hosting fee, Mayor Rob Ford told reporters Monday afternoon.
The city was hoping to get the funding commitment for the entertainment complex but the province has not specified what funding formula it would allocate to the municipality hosting the casino.
The Toronto Star, citing unnamed sources, is reporting Toronto was set to receive a $53.7-million hosting fee -- nearly half the amount the mayor was expecting.
Premier Kathleen Wynne has said in the past Toronto would not receive a special deal and that all cities would get "fair" offers but she has not specified what that offer would be.
Ford called the last-minute news conference to say that without commitment for that hosting fee, he would no longer support the casino – a project he has outspokenly supported up until this point.
“I’m not married to (the idea of a) casino, I’ve never campaigned on a casino,” he said.
“I will not support a casino if it is not in the best interest of Toronto,” he later added. “I said that at the beginning and I’m a man of my word.”
Ford cancelled a special casino debate for councillors that was scheduled to take place on Tuesday. He said instead, council will simply receive a city staff report on the casino at the next council meeting on June 11.
Wynne has yet to respond to Ford’s decision to kill the casino deal but an official with Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa’s office said Toronto should weigh other factors in its decision.
“As the minister has said, the City of Toronto should make its decision based on the various characteristics of a casino,” said Press Secretary Susie Heath in an emailed statement. “We appreciate the mayor's comments but we'll put out the formula when we're ready and are confident that it is fair to all municipalities.”
Ford was criticized by some of his fellow councillors for cancelling Tuesday’s debate. They say the mayor only cancelled the debate because he was sure to lose the vote as the majority of his colleagues are not prepared to support a casino in the city.
Coun. Mike Layton said those opposing the casino still want to be able to vote ‘no’ on the issue and that councillors may sign a petition, forcing a debate on the issue whether the mayor wants it or not.
“A casino is not an economic development strategy,” said Layton after the mayor’s press conference.
“We’ve had several delays now, several delays,” Layton said about the debate. “Let’s have this debate -- we have booked aside time, the public has been notified -- rather than wait another two weeks and in that time give lobbyists more time to try and get people on board.”
On Twitter, both councillors Gord Perks and Josh Matlow hinted a debate could indeed happen.
“Keep Tuesday free,” Perks tweeted. “Torontonians want a clear NO on the casino.”
“I look forward to spending this coming Tuesday with my colleagues on city council,” Matlow added.
When the mayor’s brother, Coun. Doug Ford, was asked about the lack of support for a casino on council, he said he’s confident councillors would have changed their minds if the city was promised proper revenue.
“Without a funding mechanism, it’s hard to sell a product,” he said.
Doug Ford said Torontonians shouldn’t hold their breath waiting for a new deal.
“The deal is not essentially dead, it’s dead," he said. "There’s no wiggle room. The premier was indecisive -- she wouldn’t give us a straight answer. The province needs to go to an election to get this province back on track.”
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