Toronto Casino Opposition.....

With the Toronto casino issue looming for the city of Toronto, some neighbourhoods in the city have seen anti-casino signs popping up on front lawns such as these ones on Spencer Ave. in the Parkdale area. Spencer Ave. is a few blocks away from the CNE site where MGM has proposed building their casino. (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)

Casino opposition backs off from plans for special meeting

Elizabeth Church

The Globe and Mail

PublishedWednesday, May. 08 2013,

 

A group of anti-casino city councillors have backed off – at least for now – on plans to put the controversial question of whether Toronto wants a gambling complex in the downtown on the council floor during this week’s meeting.

The group was one name short of the 23 needed to call a special casino meeting for Thursday, but when council began at 9:30 Wednesday they held the balance of power – all that they needed to do was add the casino debate to the regular agenda of council.

 

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Mayor Rob Ford and his brother Councillor Doug Ford were both absent when council was called to order.

 

The mayor last month removed a staff report on a new downtown casino and the expansion of gambling at Woodbine Racetrack from this week’s council meeting and called a special meeting for May 21 to consider the issue. Under the rules of council, Councillor Gord Perks said all that was needed was a majority of the councillors present in the chamber to call a snap vote to have the debate during this week’s session.

 

Mr. Perks said councillors who oppose a casino decided not to take that route because the procedural manoeuvring might distract from the actual debate.

 

“We decided why give people an argument that we pulled a fast one,” he said. “Let’s just debate it on its merits. We can wait a couple weeks to do that.”

 

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/toronto/casino-opposition-backs-off-from-plans-for-special-meeting/article11782057/?cmpid=rss1