Dozens of Toronto residents attended a public consultation Saturday to hear the pros and cons of a casino, as the city wrestles with the idea of allowing a gaming facility within city limits.
Coun. Michael Thompson hosted the event at Parkway Mall, located in his ward of Scarborough Centre (Ward 37), and invited speakers who are pro- and anti-casino.
“This is an opportunity for my residents to be informed about the different perspectives and concerns that have been raised … about this very divisive issue,” Thompson told CP24 reporter Jackie Crandles.
Thompson said he hasn’t decided whether he will support or oppose a casino.
At Saturday’s event, citizens listened to speeches and got a chance to pose questions to speakers, including Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. president and CEO Rod Phillips and members of the citizen's group No Casino Toronto.
In his address to the crowd, Phillips said an entertainment and casino complex would be beneficial for Toronto because it would generate revenue for the city, create new jobs, attract hundreds of thousands of visitors, and add more space for conventions.
Brantford Mayor Chris Friel told the crowd about the impact a casino has had in his community since it opened about 13 years ago.
Friel, who was initially opposed to the proposal because he feared it would cause more harm than good, said millions of dollars in casino revenue has revitalized his city’s suffering downtown core because council used the money to lure university and college campuses.
Because of the investment, more than 3,000 students are getting a post-secondary education in downtown Brantford, the mayor said.
“Our downtown is completely revitalized because of the casino,” Friel told CP24. “There’s a direct line, but it’s not because the casino is where it is, it’s because of the dollars that we’ve received from hosting fees and how we’ve allocated those funds.”
Friel said he has this message for municipalities who are considering a gaming complex: “We want you to understand that it is not the most amazing thing ever and it is not the worst thing ever, it is somewhere in the middle.”
Sheila Lynette of No Casino Toronto told the audience a casino would do more harm than good.
“I think that the research shows in small communities … it does help and it is successful, somewhat successful, but I don’t think it’s the same in Toronto,” Lynette told CP24. “Brantford was suffering a depression or an economic downturn but Toronto isn’t and we don’t need a casino in the middle of our vibrant city.”
As for the social impact of Brantford's casino, Friel said the city has not measured an increase in the use of social services or bankruptcies, and there is no evidence of a spike in gambling addiction.
Last year, 64 people sought help for problem gambling in Brantford, Friel said.
He said many of those addicts were “cross addicted” with things such as substances, and the data available to him does not indicate how many blamed the casino, readily-available lottery tickets or other outlets for their gambling problems.
“If you’re worried about the poor and gambling, worry about your convenience stores before you worry about your casinos,” Friel said, referring to the stores that sell lottery tickets.
As for crime, Friel said police respond to an annual average of 270 casino-related calls for service, based on statistics from the last five years.
The audience also learned more about a report prepared by Dr. David McKeown, Toronto’s medical officer of health.
McKeown’s report, which analyzes the potential impact of a casino, predicts an increase in problem gambling.
According to the report, shift work and irregular hours would harm the health of casino workers, while an increase in traffic would lead to more injuries and pollution.
The same report could not determine whether a casino would hurt economic development or result in a spike in crime rates.
Hosting fees
Toronto city council is expected to vote on a casino in May.
Phillips previously said Toronto would receive up to $100 million annually for hosting a casino, but Premier Kathleen Wynne told OLG executives not to give a “special deal” to Toronto if city council approves a casino.
Wynne said Toronto's hosting fees should be calculated with the same formula used for other communities.
After a closed-door meeting with Wynne last Wednesday, OLG officials are reviewing the hosting fee estimate, Phillips told CP24 on Saturday.
“The premier was very clear, it’s got to be fair (and) it’s got to be the same formula,” Phillips said.
Last year, gaming facilities generated $100 million for 23 Ontario communities, Phillips said.
Friel said he is happy with the current profit-sharing formula because it is fair, and Toronto should get the same deal as the other communities.
Thompson said people in the gaming industry are telling him that Toronto should expect a minimum of $100 million in hosting fees.
If the city doesn’t receive that amount, the project may not be worth it, he suggested.
“If that is not the type of money that’s actually on the table I see no reason why I would actually engage in this particular process of making a decision to implement a casino in the city of Toronto,” Thompson said.
In the same breath as revenues, he said council should consider the social and economic impact of a casino.
Based on emails and phone calls, most residents of Ward 37 would support a casino if the concerns about jobs, social impact and crime are “adequately” addressed, Thompson said.
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