Lectured by its neighbours over the casino issue, Woolwich plans on “sticking to its guns,” says the township’s mayor.
“I think we did a fairly extensive investigation of the whole issue. We’re not going to re-open the debate,” said Todd Cowan in an interview this week after Woolwich officially became the only municipality in the region willing to host a casino.
On Monday night, Kitchener council voted against welcoming an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. casino, joining Waterloo, Cambridge and Wilmot Township in declining to move ahead. Aside from Woolwich, only Centre Wellington Township, current home of a slots facility at the Grand River Raceway, has indicated it’s interested in hearing casino proposals.
In rejecting a casino, Kitchener council also called on Woolwich to reconsider its decision. Last week, regional council cast a symbolic vote against having a casino in the region.
Neither of those votes will have an effect in Woolwich, said Cowan, adding that regional Chair Ken Seiling has been acting outside his jurisdiction and using his position as a bully pulpit in the debate.
“He’s using his position of power to influence people – he’s overstepped. The region is out of bounds,” said Cowan of last week’s vote pressed for by Seiling.
For his part, Seiling said because a casino would have an impact on more than just Woolwich – policing, public health, social services – the decision should involve the other municipalities.
“The whole area should have a say.”
As for Kitchener, said Cowan, it’s in no position to comment, having done a cursory job of looking at the issues. Woolwich, on the other hand, did its homework for months before making a decision.
All the fuss, however, did reach the ears of the minority Liberal government at Queen’s Park, which has asked the OLG to look at its process in light of a two-tier municipality like Waterloo Region.
“OLG is reviewing the two-tier system as the minister requested,” said OLG spokesman Tony Bitonti in an interview Tuesday.
The group will move forward based on the findings of the review. With the recent ‘no’ decisions by Waterloo and Kitchener, it’s left with a pair of options in the gaming zone.
“We’ll only go where we’re welcome,” said Bitonti of the recent votes. “We still have two willing hosts in that zone.”
Seiling said he welcomes the review, noting the province should look at scaling back OLG’s “over-optimistic” plans for expanding gambling in Ontario. What will come out of the review remains uncertain, however.
“I don’t know where the province will go with this.”
With a new facility, to be built and operated by a private-sector partner, the OLG envisions up to 1,200 slot machines and 55 gaming tables at a facility in the gaming zone.
If Woolwich does remain in play following the provincial review, the ultimate decision lies with prospective private investors, who would have to see the township as a desirable spot for a facility.
Following the current review, the OLG will release a call for prospective operators to submit requests for pre-qualification. Those bidders would be whittled down to a handful of prospects later this year, with the agency sending out request for proposals in 2014, said Bitonti.
The company with the winning bid at the end of the process would, at first, take over operation of the slots facility at Grand River Raceway in Elora. A new facility, on that location or elsewhere – perhaps in Woolwich – could be a few years down the road yet.
