May 21, 2013 Toronto — A gruelling campaign launched by No Casino Toronto that remained focused on the facts and true to its grassroots beginnings more than a year ago can claim victory in defeating a proposed casino in downtown Toronto. A large majority of city councillors rejected the idea outright at a special council [...]
Mayor Ford’s annoucnement: Toronto would get $53.7-million to host casino; Mayor says deal ‘dead’ unless it’s $100-million (Globe and Mail) Toronto Mayor Rob Ford says downtown casino ‘dead’ (CBC) Ford says he won’t support casino without $100M hosting fee (CP24) Ford says no to Toronto Casino (NOW Toronto) Toronto Mayor Rob Ford cancels special casino debate (National [...]
The year-long push for a massive casino resort near Toronto’s downtown waterfront is dead. Woodbine Entertainment’s high-stakes bid for a full casino at the Rexdale race track is in limbo. Sources tell the Star that under the revamped OLG casino hosting formula, the city of Toronto would receive a total of $53.7 million annually for [...]
Large casinos do not sit comfortably in the centres of major cities. In greater Vancouver, the River Rock Casino is in Richmond – looking over the Strait of Georgia but also literally on the other side of the tracks – and the Casino de Montréal is not on the island of Montreal but on Île [...]
As a compulsive gambler, I’ve lost a lot of money; easily north of six figures. By gambling, I mortgaged my future. Instead of owning my own home, I’m broke, and living with my mom in my childhood house. This isn’t the life I envisioned when I first set foot inside a casino. Believe it or [...]
Toronto’s casino debate is going to last a little longer now that Mayor Rob Ford has requested a special meeting to decide the controversial question. Mr. Ford said Tuesday that he wants to devote a council meeting to the casino issue. The date of that meeting, likely toward the end of this month, is expected [...]
Facing the likely death of his downtown casino dream, Mayor Rob Ford has yanked the item from next week’s council meeting in hopes he can muster more support later in May. Councillor Michael Thompson said Tuesday the mayor’s office has told him and other Ford allies that the mayor is exercising a rarely used power [...]
Ontario Finance Minister Charles Sousa has publicly rebuked the head of the province’s lottery corporation for awarding “unacceptable” pay increases to executives. Mr. Sousa initially expressed his concerns about double-digit bonus hikes for senior executives during a private telephone conversation on Tuesday morning with Paul Godfrey, chairman of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. The [...]
Executive pay at Ontario’s lottery corporation rose by nearly 50 per cent over the past two years, despite a salary freeze for managers in the public sector. The Globe and Mail reviewed compensation for the 10 highest-paid executives at four Ontario government-owned entities between 2010 and 2012. The analysis revealed that compensation practices at the [...]
Do you know why “what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?” Because, even in this Kim Kardashian/Paris Hilton world, what’s done there is usually too vulgar, stupid and shameful to be acknowledged anywhere else. Drunk, broke and compromised is how many people leave Sin City. It’s not difficult to understand why they don’t want to [...]
While the battlefield has been silent for two centuries, the site of the Battle of York is the scene of attack once again, leaving the citizens of Toronto to defend the city against a formidable opponent, a U.S. casino giant. Torontonians rarely celebrate their city and country’s history with the same splendour as our American [...]
The Archbishop of Toronto has joined a chorus of more than 265 religious leaders who have spoken out against a bringing a casino to this city. “In my years of pastoral ministry as a priest and bishop, I have become sadly aware of the grievous suffering experienced by individuals and families because of gambling dependence,” Cardinal Thomas [...]
April 2013 To the faithful of the Archdiocese of Toronto: In my years of pastoral ministry as priest and bishop, I have become sadly aware of the grievous suffering experienced by individuals and families because of gambling dependence. We are now engaged in debating a plan for a major new casino in our area. Although [...]
A Toronto real estate company fighting plans for a casino at Exhibition Place is questioning whether city council has the legal ability to put strings on its approval of a downtown gambling complex. First Capital Realty, a mall owner with major holdings at Liberty Village, is arguing that under provincial regulations, city council has no [...]
First Capital Realty today sent the following letter to the Mayor and members of the Executive Committee of the City of Toronto. Read the letter here