They figure that the casino would bring in between $25 and 40 million a year, with the lucky municipality that hosts it being offered (in my opinion) a paltry $2+ million.
Am I alone in thinking this is a pretty far-fetched idea?
The question of location alone is interesting.
I can't see West Van ever going for this, and can't think of anywhere in the District that would make sense. (OK, maybe as part of the Lynn Valley Center development.)
Would the City welcome a shiny new casino on the waterfront? On Lonsdale?
Or would a location on the Tsleil-Waututh Nation lands make sense? How much casino traffic could the Dollarton highway survive?
Mayors Musatto and Smith were "unavailable for comment," and Walton would "seek guidance from Council." All of which suggests that they're trying to avoid actually saying anything.
The bigger question is why Victoria is floating this now, in the run-up to the election. Is there a "surprise" in the works?
21 comments:
Hasting's Park is less than 3kms from North Van, and it is a dreary, and sad place, full of pensioners dumping their savings into the video slots. Fix that place up before making another sad a dreary place.
Didn't the City decide they wouldn't support casinos some 21 years ago? I think a company tried to sell a casino to council in 2013 and was denied. Then there was some talk of slots at the ship yards last year but I don't know wher that ended up.
This is all just to apply pressure to the Squamish Nation and the City. The Squamish Nation has land set aside for a casino on the waterfront between the Squamish Marina and the AutoMall. You can access the property from the Automall side without even needing the City's consent. The City knows this and may be pressured to put it on their land so they get the revenue.
Tsleil Waututh don't have an appropriate piece of land.
I did not realize a casino was a major municipal issue. When did they get the affordable housing, over-development and traffic problems solved and why was no one told?
I realize you only have a one track mind, but the councils deal with dozens of issues on a weekly basis, suggesting that they can't deal with anything else until everyone in the world can afford to live in North Van is ludicrous.
Revenue is the issue. Richmond, Vancouver, Burnaby, New West, Coquitlam, Surrey etc. all make significant annual revenue from casinos. N. Shore residents take their dollars off the Shore to go there. Visitors to the LM go there. Municipal question is do we keep the revenue here and then plough it back into our munis and attract the social ills associated with casinos or forego the revenue?
To Anon 11:40 the gaming companies have been sniffing around the N. Shore for more than a decade and have tossed dollars at municipal council candidates trying to get some traction.
The Squamish have land right off of Hwy 1 currently being used as a golf course and driving range. A perfect location for a casino given the proximity of the Holiday Inn and easy access.
From their website, "The Squamish Nation also recently completed an agreement that will see a large gaming facility built on the highway leading into Squamish."
I suspect that is an expansion of the "Chances" facility that is already just south of Squamish.
The driving range property is a terrible location. First it is only a 5 minute drive from two other casinos, the Grand in Burnaby and Hastings Park, plus the traffic around that corridor is awful. Also, the Driving Range has a major height limitation as it has a major BC Hydro substation immediately to the North with massive power lines overhead that aren't going anywhere.
Waterfront makes more sense. Spectacular view of the city, at least 15 minutes away from any other casino, more hotel rooms with Pinnacle, Lonsdale Quay Hotel, plus closer proximity to downtown hotels and lower Cap hotels, and it is already a bustling hub for tourists.
ah NOW it makes SENSE!
The Province has probably heard about the hordes of ice skating cruise ship passengers expected to board the seabus for the Quay and it wants to ride Mussatto's coattails. Most likely location? I'd say at the Northern terminus of the bike elevator.
Nice.
Casinos are past their prime, with online gaming available everywhere the customer has changed. It is no longer a well to do executive throwing thousands back into the economy, it is gangsters, pensioners, and addicts, with the occasional middle class person thrown in. If we are so concerned with late night entertainment for tourists, give hotels FSR and Property Tax exemptions for showrooms, let Grouse have a 24 hour liquor license, make lower Lonsdale an entertainment district extending all licenses to 2am, and make the Seabus run until 3am.
To anon 8:43:
You seem to think that only council deals with issues. In fact councils and staff deal with issues. A content analysis of a typical OCP shows that about 23% of words are dedicated to development and redevelopment. About 20% are dedicated to material improvements in transportation infrastructure. In comparison, a content analysis of all staff reports presented to council show that about 82% of all content is focused on development and redevelopment, activities which are mostly private interests with little to no public benefit. Less than 8% of staff report content pertains to transportation infrastructure and the vast majority of that content is false information provided by developers to negate any investment in transportation infrastructure for which they might be responsible. I trust I am wrong but a member of a council whose day job was in transportation infrastructure planning would have the opportunity to double-dip. They could take bribes from 9-5 to ignore the impact of densification on greater reliance on cars while in the evening taking bribes from developers to look the other way regarding the need for transportation infrastructure to support development activity. A good job if you can get it while avoiding jail time.
I think anon 8:43 was merely pointing out that council is capable of dealing with many issues at once and that studying one issue isn't dependant upon solving another.
Anon 10:16, you throw around a term like bribes and associate it with an unnamed councillor who could work in transportation planning. Are we back to that game of getting as close to defamation as legally possible? You are a coward who uses weasel words to cast aspersions without taking responsibility for the damage to that persons reputation. There is no evidence Matt Bond is doing anything but serving the community well and simply because he disagrees with you, you are taking the cowards way.
At an All Candidates' meeting for DNV Council and Mayor in 2005 at the United Church in Edgemont the question was asked. Do you support gaming, i.e. casinos, in the DNV?
All candidates, including Richard Walton answered with a resounding NO.
DNV has been consistent, CNV has voted consistently, but when the Mayor takes campaign contributions from Playtime gambling including, not just cash but an in kind contribution of professional calling services, you have to ask whether he will budge if he sees other members of the council warm up to it. Tsleil Waututh has been trying to get a casino, but their land is too remote. Squamish would have pursued one, but they had a major land plan go sideways a few years ago where major redevelopment near Lions Gate was rejected by their members so they are taking their time now.
Anon 9:43 - the comment to which you refer does not even mention the name of a municipality let alone the name of a person. In fact the comment merely refers to a hypothetical situation. As for Matt Bond, he did run in the 2014 municipal election on a platform of improving transportation infrastructure, didn't he?. Not counting some new speed bumps and new 4-way stop sign, where is the improvement? I know, I know. "The experts continue to study the problem which includes bench marking to other municipalities and have formed diverse committees to consult, as well as acquiring new office space, new computers and new software. So utterly tediously predictable. The North Shore needs a bridge from Cates Park to Port Moody, and a road from the Lisa Muri bridge off the Seymour Parkway through the lower part of Capilano University joining up to Mountain Highway and Keith Road. Draw up the plans this month. Do the RFPs over the summer. Acquire the land in September. And start building in October. It really is that simple!
How do you pay for it?
What is Matt Bond? Some type of photocopy paper? Is he married to Glossy Bond -the drag queen in Coquitlam? Where do these names come from? God bless them :-)
How might a casino show up on the North Shore?
Because of these front page advertisements that scream out "Me and the misses want a 3-bedroom townhouse; we are for sale to the highest bidder; give us that townhouse and I promise you I will vote anything you put in front of my council."
http://vancouversun.com/opinion/columnists/pete-mcmartin-north-van-councillor-bonds-homeowner-hopes-instead-a-licence-to-chill
At least in the day the misses had to make a good milkshake.
Since no such thing was stated in the feature, why would you make such a statement, anon 11:02pm? Are you one of those who thinks housing affordability isn't an issue for younger generations? Have you actually ever tried to find affordable housing that will accommodate a family? Cynicism is all well and good, but your lack of empathy is another.
DNV, DWV and CNV have firmly chosen not to support casinos for 20+ years and there seems little interest among Tseil-wa-tuth or Squamish.
While I understand the Lottery Commission would like one here, trying to ram one through is completely unconscionable.
Today's NS News (July 22) states that CNV and Tsel-wa-tuth have both informed the BC Lottery Corp that they are interested in having a casino.
CNV has had a decades long moratorium on casinos. However, during the last municipal election gaming money was accepted as campaign contributions for some key CNV council members and now the moratorium is no more. What a crazy coincidence!
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