The following is a news story I wrote about tonight’s city council meeting in Vancouver. It is not an opinion piece.
More than 160 people registered to speak at Vancouver City Council Monday night as hundreds rallied to oppose a proposal to build a $450 million casino by BC Place.
At least 200 demonstrators gathered outside of City Hall to protest the casino, some wearing yellow t-shirts reading “save our jobs” and holding signs declaring “Vancouver, not Vegas.”
Sandy Garossino, spokeswoman for the anti-casino coalition, addressed the chanting crowd with a megaphone before the meeting.
“Promises of easy money are the easiest promises in the world to make,” she said.
City Council will consider three main components of the hotel and casino proposal: Rezoning the land to include a casino adjacent to BC Place; relocation of the Edgewater Casino from its current site to the rezoning site; and expansion of the casino.
The land is owned by the provincial Crown corporation PavCo, which also owns BC Place. Paragon Gaming, a Las Vegas company, already owns the Edgewater Casino, presently located on the North East side of False Creek.
David Podmore, Chair of PavCo, said that similar large-scale projects in the past were also met with strong resistance, including Expo ’86 and BC Place itself.
“It’s easy to be the critic,” he said to loud boos from the crowd outside. “It’s a lot tougher to be a proponent.”
A raucous heckler walked into council chambers during Podmore’s speech to interrupt him before returning to the gallery. Interruptions during the meeting were common, prompting warnings from Mayor Gregor Robertson.
BC Lottery Corporation president Michael Graydon said 5,500 jobs would be created during construction of the complex, bringing much-needed stability to the Downtown Eastside.
After the presentation by the applicant team, city councillors were given time to ask questions. Several councillors were concerned that not enough public consultation had been done prior to the proposal to measure the impact of the expansion.
“We were assured [in 2004] that the Edgewater would be the casino… there would be no need to go further,” Coun. Tim Stevenson said. “It almost feels like somehow those promises… have been done away with.”
Coun. Ellen Woodsworth was not convinced a proper impact study had been conducted to assess the risk to young people in the community.
“What does it look like when people between 18 and 34 become problem gamblers?” she asked.
The Social Responsibility Fund Agreement of the proposal offers $200,000 to the city annually to mitigate the possible negative impacts of gambling.
Opponents of the proposal, composed of community groups and prominent citizens, have argued that the casino will hurt the neighbourhood and drain money from other businesses.
In 2009 council approved a plan for North East False Creek that guides future redevelopment of the parcels of land in question. This proposed rezoning would contribute approximately 800,000-square-feet of commercial space towards achieving the target of 1,900 full-time-equivalent jobs.
If approved, the expansion of the Edgewater casino would make it the largest in Western Canada, increasing to 1,500 slot machines and up to 150 gaming tables from 600 slot machines and 75 gaming tables.
Disgusting – it is not our culture and we don`t want some American firm ruining our city. Our mayor is the worst EVER!!!!
I do not remember who it was that said it but I do remember hearing on a radio program years ago when casinos were first being considered in Alberta this statement. If at least 75% of the revenues from a casino did not come from out of state or in our instance province that the costs to the state or province are higher than any profits. The gentleman being interviewed was from Las Vegas and was connected to the state gambling control board or some such thing.
Myself personally, I do not gamble and I have no compulsion to force that stance on anyone else. Gamble if you desire but if you are going to have a casino and are intending to profit from it be sure to do all the math. I do not want my tax dollars being needed to clean up any mess left after those profits.
Before this is approved OR turned down, the City council and local civic organizations ought to study, not Las Vegas, but Atlantic City, NJ and it’s now 3 decades history with legalized gambling. There’s lessons to be learned there. What to do and especially what NOT to do.
If they do approve legalized gambling and that casino, they ought to make sure there’s municipal and provincial laws in place making damn sure that all the fees and taxes generated aren’t sucked out of Vancouver for political pork, etc. elsewhere in the province.
That’s what really hurt Atlantic City. For these decades, Atlantic City has been treated like a cash cow, milked for almost all those taxes and fees by the Democrat-controlled state legislature and Democrat governors. The money has been used to fund pork for labor unions and other Democratic Party clients. Other than the casinos themselves, the rest of Atlantic City has steadily declined. Republican Governor Christie says he wants to change that, by legislating that ALL the fees and taxes generated by Atlantic City gambling, stay in Atlantic City, to fund the badly needed urban renewal. He’ll have to fight the Democrats tooth and nail to get that through. BEWARE POLITICAL PORK ADDICTION! Once begun, it’s extremely difficult to “kick the habit”.