IVA V OPINION
LAS VAUGHAN
The possibility of a casino coming to Vaughan is very real — and it’s not something to be proud of Written By Michael Hill
V
aughan has done what Toronto refused to do. In the wee hours of the morning on May 29, city council voted 5-4 in favour of informing the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) of its interest in hosting a casino. Vaughan is now officially in the mix for OLG’s next temple to Lady Luck. That says plenty about how the city is changing — and not all of those changes paint the prettiest picture. This decision shouldn’t come as a surprise. Vaughan is a city on the rise with enough ego-boosting prospects to raise the Titanic. Numerous condo developments have their roots firmly planted, some already stretching skyward like steel and glass wildflowers; construction is underway on the colossal Metropolitan Centre, which will completely transform the city’s dynamic; the forthcoming Mackenzie Vaughan Hospital is warmly welcomed, even though construction won’t begin until 2015 at the earliest; and the extended Spadina subway line, a sure catalyst for economic influx, inches ever closer, tethering the heart of Vaughan to Toronto’s downtown core. Whether you like it or not, this aggressive modernization is transforming this once “sleepy suburb” into a magnet for commerce and big business. A new era is upon Vaughan, and a casino may just be another piece of that puzzle. But, wait! Not a “casino” — how foolish to suggest. It would be a “world-class cultural and entertainment district, which will include an integrated convention and trade centre,
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five-star hotel and entertainment arts centre, including a gaming complex,” as the city’s website makes clear. “Gaming complex”? Filled with what, exactly? Felt-lined platforms of odds wagering? Lever-driven image aligners of possibilities? A euphemism this layered, this buried under dressedup language and lofty promises, should trigger alarms. The similarity to the linguistic showmanship that inundated Toronto during its casino courtship, where phrases like “integrated entertainment complex” were spun harder than a body-builder-operated roulette wheel, is apparent. Mayor Bevilacqua made it quite clear in a recent Toronto Star piece that “a stand-alone casino in the City of Vaughan would never be supported.” But there is no guarantee any of these promises will be delivered. Even if Vaughan is selected for the province’s next casino, the city is not the only player. Consensus between the OLG, a third-party casino developer (“gaming operators,” as current vernacular goes, like the Vegas big dogs that went after Toronto: MGM, Caesars Entertainment, etc.) and the city will need to be met before any building begins. Maybe the OLG and casino developer will back a hotel, but not a convention centre; maybe that hotel will be less than five-star. Concessions may need to be made to even get a little of what the city wants, and who knows how that will play out. Residents could see one of the oldest business tactics at work: if you want one thing, ask for five, then whittle them down until they agree to one; you www.citylifemagazine.ca