Province not closing door on downtown waterfront casino

Thestar.com
September 24, 2018
Samantha Beattie

Ontario Finance Minister Vic Fedeli is not ruling out the possibility of a casino on Toronto’s downtown waterfront.

There has been no official proposal or announcement, but Premier Doug Ford is reportedly considering a casino as part of revitalizing the waterfront or Ontario Place, echoing a past casino proposal he and then-mayor Rob Ford fought for in 2013.

Amid renewed speculation about a casino on Toronto’s downtown waterfront, Finance Minister Vic Fedeli said, “I don’t open the door and I don’t close the door.”

Mayor John Tory stands firmly against the idea.

“Prime waterfront land and downtown period is not a place for a casino,” Tory told reporters Friday.

Asked Thursday if the province and Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) would consider allowing a casino on the downtown waterfront, Fedeli said, “I don’t open the door and I don’t close the door. There’s been a spike of interest in it (in the media), and so you have to have these types of discussions.”

Fedeli said he hasn’t spoken to Ford about a casino.

Tory was skeptical that the Progressive Conservatives government would seriously consider a downtown casino, noting that Ford did not campaign on it and hasn’t publicly embraced the idea.

“We will have to see whether it unfolds as a real issue or whether it’s speculation fuelled by the gambling industry,” said Tory. “We don’t need one. We don’t want one.”

Having another casino in Toronto could take business away from Woodbine Racetrack, which is already being revamped to include a full-fledged casino and entertainment-hotel complex in north Etobicoke, Tory said.

OLG is currently focused on the development of the Woodbine location, said spokesperson Tony Bitonti.

When Ford was a city councillor, he and his brother pushed for a multi-billion-dollar casino-resort in 2013.

Council overwhelmingly rejected that proposal, which came in the midst of the Rob Ford crack cocaine scandal.

Fedeli said the province is ready to talk about the waterfront area with the city, the Canadian National Exhibition, OLG and other groups.

Ford set his sights on Ontario Place this summer, when sources told the Star that he wants an international competition to rethink the sprawling green space along Lake Shore Blvd. W.

“I’m proud to announce we’re going to work in conjunction with the CNE, redo Ontario Place and make it the most spectacular destination anywhere in North America to visit,” he announced in August. Since then, officials have been tight-lipped about what’s planned.