City union opposes Toronto casino

The union representing the city’s inside workers is against a Toronto casino, arguing such a casino would “overwhelm” the city’s cash-strapped social services.

CUPE Local 79, which represents about 20,000 city employees, has signed on in support of No Casino Toronto; with union president Tim Maguire saying Tuesday that a casino in Toronto could double the number of problem gamblers.

“CUPE Local 79 is concerned about a casino’s negative impacts on Toronto communities. Our members are front-line community workers in a city that’s already struggling under a social infrastructure deficit. We are worried that the social impacts of a casino could overwhelm Toronto’s already strained social support system,” Maguire said.

“We’ve seen no convincing arguments to prove a casino will provide a net benefit for Toronto communities,” he said.

Maguire also pointed to a Toronto Public Health report that said the impact wouldn’t just be on the gamblers themselves – their families would also be negatively affected.

Toronto’s Board of Health voted against the proposed casino in February. The board said that while some impacts of a gaming facility could be positive, like new job creation, most of the outcomes would be negative.

The city’s plans for a casino hit a major roadblock last month when Premier Kathleen Wynne said Toronto would not receive special treatment, compared other Ontario municipalities.

Earlier reports stated that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) was offering the city between $50 and $100 million in hosting fees — a number that eclipses other municipalities.

Wynne said all municipalities must abide by the same funding formula.

Days after that conversation, the OLG said it was now considering Vaughan as well as Toronto, Mississauga and Markham-Richmond Hill for a southern Ontario gambling facility.

A vote by city council on whether to allow a casino in the city is expected later this spring.