Casino a boon to Vaughan: city report
Vaughan Citizen
By Tim Kelly May 23, 2013
A new city report makes a strong case for willing host status for an integrated entertainment and gaming complex for Vaughan.
The report, released in advance of Tuesday’s special committee of the whole meeting at city hall on a casino for Vaughan, says Vaughan will receive $32 million per year in hosting fees, collect $2.4 million to $3.7 million per year in property taxes, create 8,000 to 10,000 permanent jobs, 4,000 indirect jobs, 3,000 construction jobs, provide a capital investment of between $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion and help offset future tax increases.
Prepared by Vaughan executive director Tim Simmonds, in consultation with acting city manager Barb Cribbett, the report is high on the positives of a complex that would include a casino, and low on any negative social impacts it might generate.
It also provides a list of 21 terms and conditions it says a casino complex vendor must meet, including:
• consider locating on provincially owned lands adjacent to the (upcoming) 407 subway station
• that parking be paid and not on surface lots but in structures
• that the maximum size of the gaming floor be 15 per cent of the development and minimums required for hotel/convention centre
• complex built to LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental design) gold certification
• that a casino will only be considered in a specific area of Vaughan
Pros/cons
Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua said he favoured discussing the pros and cons of having a casino as part of a complex that would include a performing arts centre, five-star hotel, convention centre and other attractions...
And even though councillors will have sole discretion to decide if Vaughan is a willing host for a casino, the mayor said he will listen to public opinion on the issue...
Thornhill/Concord Councillor Sandra Yeung Racco has been a strong opponent of a casino complex for Vaughan since the notion was floated last year.
"“It (a casino) will destroy families"...
She said a casino complex would reflect poorly on the city and would create the wrong image for Vaughan.
“It’s bad because Vaughan has always based its pride on family. We’ve had Canada’s Wonderland, which is a family activity, we have Vaughan Mills, which is a family thing, we have Legoland that we just opened up, which is a family thing, we’ve got McMichael, we’ve got Kortright Centre, all those things are family oriented,†said Ms Yeung Racco, adding a casino complex does not work with the other attractions Vaughan has to offer.