Vision Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»made its first campaign announcement Wednesday.
And it wasn't exactly a gamble, so to speak. Mayor Gregor Robertson announced a moratorium on gambling expansion in Â鶹´«Ã½Ó³»and reaffirmed the ruling party's opposition to a downtown mega casino.
So what's new here? Not sure.
As faithful readers will recall, Robertson and his council-including NPA Coun. Suzanne Anton, who is running for mayor-voted unanimously in April not to allow Paragon Gaming to expand its Edgewater Casino to a site adjacent to B.C. Place Stadium.
In April, council also agreed to a moratorium on applications to expand gambling until the provincial government and the B.C. Lottery Corporation undertake a "comprehensive public consultation" on expanded gambling in Vancouver.
Paragon's proposal called for doubling the 75 tables at Edgewater to 150 at the new casino, and tripling its 520 slots to 1,500. If built, it would have been the largest casino in Western Canada.
I missed what Robertson said outside the Telus World of Science, the Edgewater Casino a convenient backdrop for the television cameras. So I spoke to Vision Coun. Geoff Meggs. "The mayor emphasized that the moratorium is very, very firm-that he's not interested and we're not interested in referendums or big reviews or other attempts to create expansion in the city," Meggs said. "He also wanted to make it clear that our position has been consistent and Suzanne Anton's has been completely incomprehensible."
So Vision's taking a hard line on gambling expansion. But it's a fact that in January 2004, city council approved slot machines for the Edgewater, making it the first gambling facility in the city to have the machines. Then-Vision mayor Larry Campbell and Vision councillors Jim Green, Raymond Louie, Tim Stevenson and COPE Coun. David Cadman voted for slots. Vision has also accepted money from Edgewater ($2,500 in 2008, $3,080 in 2005) and Great Canadian Casino ($10,500 in 2008, $30,750 in 2005), which operates Hastings Racecourse-where there are slots-to fund its election campaigns. And, according to Meggs, Vision has no plans to refuse money this campaign from casino companies.
But what's the public to make of a political party that says no to expanded gambling, but yes to donations from casino companies?
"Vision's proposition for a long time has been there should be a rule for all parties not to take money from developers or unions and just make it individuals," Meggs said. "In the absence of that, we've been accepting money from unions and from corporations and we will continue to do so. And I don't think we've singled out one group that we won't take it from. So if they want to come to our fundraising dinner, for example, I personally have no problem with that."
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Twitter: @Howellings
