Kitchener also says “No” to a casino
Posted May 14, 2013 05:11:23 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Like Waterloo and Regional Council, Kitchener City Council has also said no
to a casino.
The vote was unanimous at Monday night’s council meeting.
In their comments, all of the councillors said it was really the public who had made the decision.
Councillor Berry Vrbanovic said he was very impressed by the amount of feedback the city received from residents.
“Also very compelling was the high degree of engagement from our community which ultimately resulted in 75 percent of the city’s survey respondents and delegations being opposed to a casino. In my time on council, this has probably been the highest level of engagement I’ve ever encountered.”
Councillor Bil Ioannidis compared the debate and struggle to a game of Texas Hold ’em poker between the city and the OLG.
“We had a pair of aces and when the hands were revealed, the OLG had nothing to show for [it]. We as the residents of Kitchener, played their bluff, and we luckily beat the OLG.”
Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr said a casino would take away more than it could give.
“What business would we encourage to locate here that would export nothing but our money? It’s not a valued commodity or product. It is our citizen’s money that will not be spent in this community.”
As part of their response to the OLG, councillors will be requesting the corporation stop and review their rules regarding two tiered government systems before continuing with a casino in Waterloo Region.
They are also asking Woolwich councillors to reconsider their earlier decision to be a willing host city because of the social and economic impact it will have on Kitchener, and in the region.
