THE
NEWSPAPER.COM
TUESDAY, JANUARY 22, 2013
LETTERS
A09
Send your letters to ‘Now’ editor Beau Simpson at edit@thenownewspaper.com
Casino voting will be noted come election time The Editor, Thank you to Mayor Dianne Watts and those council members who listened to the people and voted down the proposed casino for South Surrey. Congratulations for not being swayed by the political clout, spin, theatrics and dubious promises. Congratulations, also to the community, who rallied together on such short notice to organize resistance to a project that was so wrong for so many reasons. Congratulations to the people who gathered and provided so many reports, studies and statistics to overwhelmingly prove the negative impacts, both social and financial, of casinos on the communities in which they are placed. Given the shaky finances and questionable benefits, I’m surprised the project was entertained in the
first place. I wonder, too, how needed were the other amenities of theatre, convention centre, hotel and restaurants if they couldn’t generate enough business to survive without being subsidized by casino takings? Since even nearby residents to the proposed location claim they didn’t receive mailed notices about the proposal, maybe something went wrong or there was willful negligence in getting word out. It’s fine to place a sign in a field, a notice in the local paper and a few mail-outs for a small project, but one of this size, that would fundamentally change an area, needs to be more widely advertised so a community doesn’t have to rally at the 11th hour. Finally, Rich Coleman’s disgraceful comments about the democratic process are offensive. He, and his fellow Liberals campaigned on a promise of no expanded gambling back in 2001.
Now, he seems to think they should be accepted without question. That is disgraceful. Peter Battistoni, Surrey
Casino was wrong fit The Editor, I congratulate Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts for casting the deciding vote against the casino. It is rare for politicians to forego development in favour of wishes of area residents. I am glad for the decision because it was a wrong fit for the rural nature of the area. I also congratulate the area residents for coming together in an almost unbelievable way to oppose the proposal. There is no question they worked very hard to get the result they desired. Dave Bains, Surrey
Cold feet killed casino The Editor, Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts cast the deciding vote to defeat the controversial gaming licence application on South Surrey lands. The final decision came on the weekend after 13 hours of a gruelling public hearing over two nights. According to Mayor Dianne Watts, she voted for the proposal to succeed three years ago because public support was evident. This time around, she said South Surrey residents solidly opposed it and so she supports the residents with her vote. This casino application for political and economic reasons had the full support of the mayor and her council members from day one, hence the reason for Minister Rich Coleman’s anger and disgust. It is apparent that at the end of it all Watts got a case
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of political “cold feet” and she pulled her support. Orvis Noel, Surrey
Casino call disappointing The Editor, As a resident of Surrey, I am deeply disappointed by the city’s decision to reject the South Surrey entertainment complex. The morality of gaming should have been extracted from this debate entirely, at which point many of those opposed would have truly seen this project for what it was. It offered immense opportunity for Surrey by providing job growth, increased revenue, and the promise of commercial development amidst a major global recession; tangible benefits that far supersede the ethical debate over gaming. Lisa S., Surrey
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MAIL IN, OR DROP OFF.
The Editor, We are writing to express our disappointment in all of Surrey’s councillors who voted in favour of the South Surrey casino proposal. Clearly none of them considered or cared about the impact on those of us living in the South Surrey community close to the proposed site. Barinder Rasode, Tom Gill, Linda Hepner and Barbara Steele were elected to consider all of the citizens of Surrey in their decisions and they seem to have forgotten that. We are disappointed that they chose to ignore the hundreds of us who took the time to let all of you know we did not want the casino in our backyard. It was clear to the council that many of us living here did not want the project, but somehow this was lost on those who voted for it. None of you will be getting our vote in the next election. But to Mayor Dianne Watts and the councillors who voted against the casino, thank you so much. It speaks volume about your integrity for considering our community and those of us who live in it when casting your vote. We absolutely love our home and this community of South Surrey and are very grateful it is not going to have a large casino complex in it. We cannot thank all of you enough for your consideration. Marvin Hunt, Bruce Hayne, Judy Villeneuve and Mary Martin and Mayor Dianne Watts will absolutely be getting our vote next election – not because they voted the way we wanted, but for looking at the big picture and considering the impact on those who had to live with a casino in their community. This is a reflection on their integrity. They will also be getting our vote because they had the courage to stand up to big business and the lure of money.