Clearview Mayor Ken Ferguson, with the support of the majority of council, will invite everyone to the table and play the Township’s cards close to the chest during upcoming discussions around the establishment of a casino in what has been designated as Zone 7 by the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.
Zone 7, one of 29 possible gaming zones identified by the OLG in their current strategic plan, encompasses Clearview, Wasaga Beach, Collingwood and a portion of Tiny Township. A new facility, if located in one of the four townships, could house up to 300 slot machines adding 5 per cent of the take to the coffers of the host municipality while leaving other communities within the zone dependant on negotiation with the casino’s home town if they would like a portion of the revenue.
Ferguson relayed this information to Council after attending a meeting hosted by OLG. He also said that while the OLG maintains they will not force a facility on a community the creation of the zone leaves opportunity for strife within the area should the townships have different views on a project.
In order to maintain cohesive communications Ferguson will host a gathering of Mayors, Deputy Mayors and CAOs. Ferguson, knowing Clearview will bear the costs of roads and emergency services required to transport gamblers through the Township regardless of the location within the zone, feels it is vital to maintain an open mind on the topic of gambling in order to communicate appropriately and create provisions for compensation should any of the four municipalities accept the OLG’s plan.
And the OLG does have plans. Showing a net profit of between $1.7 billion to $2.0 billion in each of the last 7 years, the Corporation is concerned about future revenue and states the current business model is not sustainable. According to the Corporation “advances in technology, changes to shopping patterns, aging demographics, and declining visits from the U.S. have combined to threaten the industry.” In order to “modernize” what they call responsible gaming within the province, OLG has made a multitude of recommendations, including the expansion and consolidation of gaming sites, located close to where the customers are.
Though all of Council very much agreed with the importance of communication and cooperation among the municipalities prior to the OLG’s July 4 deadline for feedback, Councillor Brent Preston and Deputy Mayor Alicia Savage differed with the Mayor’s open-minded approach. They implored Council to take a strong message to the table.
“We need to go into the meeting to convince them that this is a bad idea,” said Preston. “This is one of the issues where the facts are very clear. The benefits never outweigh the cost. This is an absolutely cynical and destructive means of taxation and we should have nothing to do with it.”
Alicia Savage agreed with this, “I am actually feeling sick – for a provincial entity to use that kind of financial planning to deal with a deficit is disgusting. The costs are too great. If we really believe and want to protect the future and the infrastructure and the demand on our budget in Clearview we need to work as hard as we can to convince the other municipalities that this in not a good idea.”
She continued, “My message is adamantly no. I will respect my neighbours but I will do everything in my power to educate and influence my neighbours to say no.”
Thom Paterson tabled a verbal motion for Clearview to oppose the creation of a casino in Zone 7 however all but the three vocal opponents chose to defer the decision on a resolution on gaming until a later date.