Toronto Mayor Rob Ford has circulated an “open letter” to media outlets across the city highlighting the potential benefits of a downtown casino.
The projections relating to job creation, revenue and tourism all are drawn from a highly anticipated staff report that has been delayed, as has City Council’s vote on the casino, and there was still no word last week on when that report would be released, prompting Councillor Mike Layton, a casino opponent, to blast the mayor’s selective release as “incredibly dishonest”.
“To not give us the benefit of the doubt of sharing some of the background information before it’s public isn’t the way governments should be operated. It isn’t the way the mayor should work.”
The numbers contained in the letter are not very different from the ones the pro-casino mayor has been repeating for months: 10,000 permanent jobs and 7,000 to 11,000 temporary construction jobs, C$150 million in annual revenue to the city, an additional 130,000 business visitors who would spend $392 million.
“This is a golden opportunity for Toronto and one we probably won’t see again for a generation,” Mr Ford said in the letter.
The pros and cons of the casino remain in heated dispute, with the jobs and revenue projections in particular coming in for heavy criticism from experts.
Since January, provincial regulator the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has said Toronto would get between $50 million and $100 million in hosting fees. This would be a much larger cut of revenue than other potential host cities would receive, and several councillors have said their yes vote is dependent on the city bringing in at least that much. However, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne said last month she won’t allow for special treatment for the city and has said there must be one funding formula for all municipalities. This leaves the exact amount of revenue Toronto would receive still in question.
Opponents also have made much of the burden the development would place on infrastructure, the cannibalization of local businesses and the potential fallout in terms of problem gambling
“Yes the casino will take in money—that’s not up for debate, that’s what casinos do,” said Mr Layton, “but it will cost us in the end.”
