OLG pushes for a casino in the GTA, downtown councillors push right back

The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation wants to open a big ol’ casino in the GTA, which it says will create jobs and spark private investment (and, if Doug Ford has his way, help fund a Sheppard subway). According to OLG chair, Paul Godfrey, the ”world-class gaming centre” could pour billions into the province’s coffers and attract scores of tourists. Not true, says the Toronto Star’s Royson James, who thinks casinos are just a fancy way to take money from the poor and vulnerable to fund services that the middle-class refuse to pay for. Downtown councillors like Adam Vaughan have already shown they’ll fight plans to put a casino in their wards, while the two Dougs (Ford and Holyday) are focused on the potential windfall. We’re bracing for another protracted fight down at city hall—and we might, in the spirit of the matter, place a wager on the outcome. Read the entire story [Toronto Star] »