Mayor Ford expresses support for Toronto casino at public meeting
Posted January 15, 2013 10:16 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Mayor Rob Ford has come out in favour of building a casino within Toronto’s borders.
Ford was among a crowd of 200 people who attended the third of five public consultations meeting on the subject, Monday evening, held at the Etobicoke Olympium.
The Mayor told the crowd that a casino would create jobs and bring in millions of dollars in revenue.
One man told CityNews Channel he supports the casino simply because it will help the city’s economy.
“I want a casino 100 per cent, for the construction jobs it will create, 6,000 jobs for three years,” said one man.
However, not everyone agreed, including “Darth Vader”, a 54-year-old Etobicoke resident.
The man, dressed as the Star Wars villain, was kicked out for carrying a sign which read “I support the mega casino and other death stars.”
A woman agreed, albeit in a different fashion, telling CityNews it will “cannibalize the businesses around, it will cause gridlock and problems.”
Another man expressed concern over possible effects the new casino would have on Woodbine Racetrack.
There are two more public meetings scheduled to discuss the subject, Thursday at Scarborough Civic Centre, and Saturday at the Toronto Reference Library.
City council will discuss the matter in April.
