News about BC casinos
For up to date news, always check our blog, Facebook and twitter
BREAKING! February 29, 2020: Rich Coleman has resigned on the eve of BC’s money-laundering inquiry. Draw your own conclusions. The story was first broken here.
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Thanks to CTV’s W5 and host Kevin Newman for this February 9, 2018 exposé of money-laundering in BC casinos. As we were saying in 2011…
Thanks also to Sam Cooper of Global and all others in media who are now covering this issue.
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JUNE 2018
• READ THE bc government’s ‘GERMAN REPORT’ INTO MONEY-LAUNDERING IN BC CASINOS HERE.
• READ SANDY GAROSSINO’S ARTICLE, WHICH INCLUDES A CALL TO ATTORNEY-GENERAL DAVID EBY TO CALL FOR A CHARBONNEAU-STYLE PUBLIC INQUIRY, HERE.
• READ LAILA YUILE’S POST ON BC CORRUPTION HERE.
BC NEEDS A PUBLIC INQUIRY NOW. the german report is not enough.
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Breaking: from Sam cooper, vancouver sun, Sept 2017, investigations into money-Laundering & crime in BC casinos. See “press” page for links
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BREAKING: December 17, 2014
Today the BC government released its report on a major audit of the BC Lottery Corporation.
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JULY 23, 2014
Councillor Adriane Carr’s casino motion B4 passes unanimously in Vancouver City Council!
Wednesday July 23 was a great day for us at Vancouver City Council! Councillor Adriane Carr (Greens) achieved something really substantial in getting her casino motion passed. The motion is a little technical, so bear with us.
Permalink to this post is here.
Councillor Carr’s motion, which she drafted after consultation with us, contained two parts. The first part of the motion was that since Michael Graydon, ex-CEO of BCLC crown corporation, was recently found by a BC gov’t audit report to be in serious conflict of conflict of interest when he took the position of CEO of Paragon’s Edgewater division, the City should write to the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) to demand his removal in the interests of integrity and public trust.
The second part asked that a restrictive covenant (RC) be placed on the casino site (“Site 10”) at BC Place preventing any increase beyond its current 600 slots and 75 gaming tables. While these numbers are already in the zoning by-law for that site, the RC significantly protects the commitment to no further gambling expansion on Site 10. It is also the only real protection against any change in legislation at the provincial level.
We must also thank George Affleck for agreeing to second the motion. He required that some minor amendments be made to it, but they were amendments that all parties accepted.
After the debate some further amendments were made by the mayor and Vision-dominated council but we all considered them friendly amendments. The motion passed unanimously. We would like to thank each and every councillor for their vote. Everyone did the right thing; huge thanks to all.
Here is the motion that finally passed.
A. THAT the City of Vancouver write to the BC Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch requesting that they follow the Gaming Control Act (Division 3 Sections 68 and 69) which gives authority to impose conditions on a gaming license holder if there are concerns over the integrity, lawful conduct or management of gaming.
B. THAT the City of Vancouver ask the Director of Planning to place the following condition on the issuance of a Development Permit for the Edgewater Casino at 39 Smithe Street, while recognizing that the bylaw previously approved by City Council prohibiting the expansion of gambling onsite is the ultimate authority:
Registration on title to the property of a restrictive covenant prohibiting any future increase in any form of gambling including the number of slot machines and gaming tables;
C. THAT City Council reaffirm Council’s decision on April 19, 2011 to place a moratorium on any and all applications to expand gambling or gaming facilities in the City of Vancouver.
Onward! Our next job? Stay tuned.
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BREAKING: MONDAY, JULY 21
[Update: Adriane’s motion got a seconder – George Affleck. This means the motion will be presented tomorrow, Wednesday, sometime before noon most likely. The committee meeting starts at 9:30 and Adriane’s motion is 4th on the list. But we’ll update you regularly! Please plan on coming!
Information from City Hall: “Motion B4 (Restricting Expansion of Gambling and Involvement of Michael Graydon in Edgewater Casino) … is on the agenda for the Regular Council meeting on Tuesday, July 22, 2014.
As Council does not hear from speakers at their Regular Council meetings, they will consider this request when they get to this item on Tuesday. If they agree to hear from speakers, they will refer the motion to a Standing Committee meeting, possibly to the Planning, Transportation and Environment meeting to be held on Wednesday, July 23, 2014, at 9:30 am.”
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Vancouver Not Vegas calls for Michael Graydon to be removed from Paragon Gaming
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Vancouver, July 11, 2014: Following the report of the BC government’s internal auditor, Vancouver Not Vegas renews its February 13th call for the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) to block PV Hospitality (a Paragon Gaming-related company) from employing Michael Graydon.
“The government has the power to halt Mr. Graydon’s employment with Paragon and must act decisively to protect the public trust and integrity of the gaming industry,” says Ian Pitfield, a retired lawyer and member of Vancouver Not Vegas.
“The public can’t trust Michael Graydon, it’s that simple.” says Sandy Garossino, spokesperson for Vancouver Not Vegas. “This goes far beyond his $125,000 severance package. He will guide PV Hospitality through the BCLC development subsidy program, which might amount to as much as $100 million or more. The fox is in charge of the henhouse, and our government has to step in.”
The public interest must be protected in the face of the auditor’s report and statements by BCLC board chair Bud Smith, which demonstrate that Mr. Graydon:
- Violated BCLC’s conflict of interest guidelines
- Provided incomplete or inaccurate information to the BCLC board
- Breached the no-contact provision of his resignation settlement
- Maintained access to confidential BCLC material for 10 days post-employment
The auditor further found that other casino service providers expressed concern that Mr. Graydon’s knowledge could provide an advantage to Paragon Gaming.
In related news, Paragon Gaming currently co-owns and manages the Eagle River Casino, a small truck stop operation in Whitecourt Alberta, which has filed for bankruptcy, owing $100 million to creditors.
Sandy Garossino
Please TEXT queries to:
778-231-5230
Michael Graydon, now of Paragon Gaming, formerly CEO of BC Lottery Corp
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BREAKING: July 10, 2014
Michael Graydon found to be in conflict of interest in his move from BC Lottery Corp to Paragon Gaming
Vancouver Not Vegas is available for media interviews in response to the BC government’s report on conflict of interest in the case of Michael Graydon’s move from the BC Lottery Corp to Paragon Gaming.
We will be issuing a full statement tomorrow, July 11.
TEXT MEDIA REQUESTS TO: 778-231-5230
In the meantime, please see the story in the Vancouver Sun: Former BC Lottery Corporation CEO in conflict when he took private job, review finds
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BREAKING: April 11, 2014
Vancouver Not Vegas Calls for Reinstatement of Specialized Casino Police Unit
In 2009 the specialized casino police unit IIGET was disbanded weeks after it warned then Solicitor-General Rich Coleman that organized crime had infiltrated the gambling industry and was actively laundering money and loan sharking in casinos (see Appendix A).
By 2011 cash monitoring had deteriorated so severely that the BC Lottery Corporation was fined almost $700,000 by the federal agency FINTRAC for failure to control suspicious transactions at casinos.
“This is a complete systemic collapse of governance,” says Sandy Garossino, spokesperson for Vancouver Not Vegas. “There’s been no specialized policing presence in casinos for 5 years and organized crime has been brazenly active the whole time. BCLC has completely failed to control casino criminal activity.”
Vancouver Not Vegas renews its calls for former BCLC CEO Michael Graydon to be deemed unsuitable for employment with Paragon Gaming. “Did Graydon know about this report when he jumped without warning from BCLC?” asks Garossino. “For at least 5 years Graydon knew organized crime was active in BC casinos, and completely failed to rein them in. Now he’s going to head a casino of his own?”
During the casino fight in 2011, 18 senior organized crime policing specialists submitted a letter which warned Vancouver City Council about rampant criminal activity of gangs and organized crime in casinos.
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Text media requests to:
Sandy Garossino 778-231-5230
See also:
Former Commander IIGET comments on casino oversight:
https://www.publiceyeonline.
https://www.publiceyeonline.
https://www.publiceyeonline.
Appendix A:
Excerpted quotes from 2009 IIGET report on criminal activity in casinos (p 22):
“Canadian casinos are extremely vulnerable to money-laundering because they deal in cash and handle tens of millions of dollars every day.
Many investigations… have shown that members of organized crime use casinos for criminal purposes (e.g. loan sharking and money laundering) and that some of these criminal elements have successfully infiltrated the industry.
Since 2003 FINTRAC has sent several disclosure reports to the RCMP on suspicious transactions involving casinos… Anecdotally, police managers have suggested… nothing is being done to investigate these situations.”
(emphasis added)
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February 13, 2014:
Vancouver Not Vegas Calls on Province to Block Graydon Appointment
Vancouver Not Vegas calls for the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (GPEB) to refuse to recognize Michael Graydon as a qualified officer of the newly formed PV Hospitality ULC, due to the public perception that Mr. Graydon may have violated the Conflict of Interest Guidelines of the BC Lottery Corporation, and due to his possession of sensitive confidential information pertaining to Paragon’s competitors.
Further, Vancouver Not Vegas calls for the City of Vancouver to attach a restrictive covenant to the property’s Development Permit, permanently limiting the number of slots and gaming tables on the new Edgewater Casino site.
Finally, VNV calls for the BC Lottery Corporation to publicly disclose all financial projections and public subsidies associated with the proposed Edgewater Casino expansion at BC Place.
“Public trust and confidence in the integrity of the BC Lottery Corporation is at stake,” says VNV member Ian Pitfield. “The corporation’s own Conflict of Interest Guidelines enjoin management from conduct which raises the perception of conflict. These rules are meaningless if there are no post-employment consequences for violations.”
“The City must respond to Mr. Graydon’s actions. Paragon is building a casino that’s oversized by some 40,000 square feet, and the BCLC governs the number of slots and table licenses that will go there.” says VNV spokesperson Sandy Garossino. “Mr. Graydon’s defection raises grave concerns about his neutrality while at BCLC, and what promises may have been made to Paragon.”
According to previous financial projections associated with an expanded Edgewater Casino, the BC Lottery Corporation was scheduled to transfer $16.9 million annually to Paragon Gaming to off-set construction costs. PavCo has re-negotiated a 50% lease reduction to $3 million annually. No projections of increased revenues (net of revenue losses to other local casinos) to the BCLC have been made public.
BCLC Conflict of Interest Guidelines
https://corporate.bclc.com/content/dam/bclc/corporate/documents/soebc-for-employees.pdf
Gaming Control Act:
https://www.bclaws.ca/Recon/document/ID/freeside/00_02014_01
Deloitte report showing $16.9 m in construction subsidy: https://vancouvernotvegas.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Deloittes-Economic-Report-Entertainment-Complex.pdf (P. 8)
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Sandy Garossino
Please TEXT queries to:
778-231-5230
Ian Pitfield
604-828-5494
Link to this release as a blog post is here.
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breaking:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Vancouver, Feb. 7, 2014
Brazen Conflict of Interest by Former CEO Exposes Feeble Governance at BCLC
The resignation of Michael Graydon as CEO of BC Lottery Corporation (BCLC) to assume the role of president of PV Hospitality ULC in which Paragon Gaming Corporation is a partner raises serious conflict of interest and BCLC governance concerns says Vancouver Not Vegas.
“It’s a grave concern that the BCLC, which oversees an industry requiring the highest standard of integrity and transparency, would permit a departure of this kind from expected ethical standards”, says founding member Ian Pitfield.
“The Federal Government applies post-employment restrictions to public office holders. Why should the Province not insist on the same restrictions for senior employees of Crown Corporations?” Pitfield asks.
The Vancouver Not Vegas coalition calls for an investigation into the circumstances surrounding this move, and asks the BC government to answer the following questions regarding this and other governance issues within BCLC (BC Lottery Corp):
- When did Michael Graydon begin employment discussions with Paragon, a company of which he was the regulator?
- What assurances or commitments did he make to Paragon, his future employer, while he was in discussions with them concerning compensation, terms, etc?
- What knowledge did the BCLC have of employment discussions between Graydon and Paragon, and did it approve it?
- Why, after BCLC chair Richard Turner bought shares in Paragon Gaming in 2004, did the BCLC not institute a firewall policy preventing employment or financial relationships between senior executives. board members and regulated corporations?
- Senior management at BCLC are in possession of significant confidential financial information pertaining to all gambling operators in BC. It’s unthinkable that it has failed to safeguard that trust by preventing conflicting employment agreements for senior executives.
It is unthinkable that BCLC has failed to safeguard the trust by prohibiting key employees from assuming employment with regulated gaming companies for a period of two or three years following retirement or resignation. But today’s news is only one chapter in a history of governance breakdowns.
Documented lapses in governance at BCLC include:
- Unprecedented $700K FINTRAC fine in 2010
- Documented loan-sharking, money-laundering in casinos
- BCLC Chair Richard Turner’s acquisition of shares in Paragon in 2004, and subsequent move to become director.
Today’s revelation, combined with a repeated pattern of inept governance points to a rudderless corporation unable to exercise basic control over its key operations.
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Media contacts:
Sandy Garossino
Please TEXT queries to:
778-231-5230
Ian Pitfield
604-828-5494
LINK to this release as a blog post is here.
See also this original story.
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Message from Sandy, Lindsay, Ian & the VNV team to supporters following the Development Board hearing on December 16, 2013
(Permalink to this article is here)
Dear Supporters:
Many among us felt enormous disappointment at the conditional approval of the preliminary development permit on December 16.
The applicants have approval to proceed contingent upon developing a harm reduction plan in consultation with the Vancouver Coastal Health chief medical officer, with reference to the Kendall report, Lower the Stakes.
The down-side is that a massive casino floor has been approved, despite very strong community objection. This is extremely troubling. In November 2011 Council re-zoned the BC Place site to permit a casino. For reasons that are obscure, rezoning was permitted for the square footage requested in the original proposal–or 114,000 square feet–notwithstanding that Council rejected additional slot machines.
Industry standard for a purpose-built casino is roughly 52 square feet per slot machine, or about 31,000 square feet for Edgewater, so re-zoning to permit 114,000 sq. ft was an unusual step.
In any event, Paragon applied for and got approval for a 71,000 sf casino floor space–40,000 sq ft larger than necessary.
Given the cost of land and cost of construction in downtown Vancouver, it’s not credible that an experienced commercial real estate partner would commit half a billion dollars to a project that’s more than 100% overbuilt.
In our view someone with authority has committed to these investors that more slots WILL be permitted, and that is most likely the provincial government, which always has the power to amend the legislation requiring municipal approval for additional slots.
Since we assume the provincial government will pursue more slots, while Vancouver City Council is in principal steadfastly opposed (and 2014 is an election year), our focus is firmly on those aspects of this development which fall under exclusive municipal jurisdiction.
We are encouraged by the mayor’s statement on the morning following the DPB hearing that:
Given (the) public concerns…which were raised at today’s Development Permit Board meeting, I will ask City staff to identify further measures to prevent any expansion of gambling in the future on this site, including amendments to by-laws or the Northeast False Creek Official Development Plan that will restrict the allowable casino floor space to the existing proposal.
This measure opens the door for us to take a more aggressive position to curtail this development. The Kendall Report, which chronicles an alarming increase in gambling addiction following the widespread introduction of slots in BC, has indeed been a game-changer for this project.
Our focus now shifts to two issues: pressing this Council to follow through with its commitment to permanently prevent expansion of the casino, and supporting strong and robust conclusions by the Vancouver Public Health Officer respecting harm reduction measures for the casino.
We will seek, among other steps:
• A covenant by the applicant not to increase slots and tables as a condition of its final development permit
• Restriction of operating hours
• Implementation of Kendall recommendations respecting alcohol service and ATMs
• Public health review of casino operations and data gathering methods
The Mayor’s statement is a tribute to your persuasive arguments. Your dedication, commitment, energy and support keep alive the possibility that this project will never materialize in the form sought by the applicants.
We’ll be in touch as events unfold.
Sandy Garossino, Lindsay Brown, Ian Pitfield
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December 17, 2013
Thanks to all who came to City Hall yesterday. We will update you soon on the events of yesterday, but in short the Development Permit Board passed the massive casino – double the square footage of the current one, and far more space per slot machine than in any casino in North America, which seems to signal later expansion – saying that it was not within their jusrisdiction to refuse the rezoning for that size that the Vision-dominated Council passed in December of 2011, a week after the last civic election.
However the DPB did stipulate that Public Health Officers must be consulted with respect to harm reduction measures, as per the recent BC government Kendall Report which detailed a rapid rise in gambling addiction in BC. The institution of harm reduction measures, which might include limiting the casino to regular bar hours, is a glimmer of hope.
Stay tuned for news on this angle.
What we asked the Development Permit Board to consider on Monday:
1. If there is to be no gambling expansion, why does the new building contain DOUBLE the gambling floor space of the current Edgewater Casino?
2. Why have Vancouver City Hall and the BC government not responded to the recent gov’t report by Perry Kendall, BC’s Chief Medical Officer, that details a massive spike in gambling addiction in the five year period of rapid gambling expansion in BC, 2002-2007? Why is Vancouver not considering harm reduction measures for the new casino, including limiting the casino to bar hours, or limiting gambling space so that the BC gov’t can’t force more slots on Vancouver later? Why is Vancouver the only major Canadian city putting a casino in a dense downtown residential area?
Our most recent press release is here.
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UPDATE: You can still sign our petition, even though the Development Permit Board refused to send the application back to City Council for further discussion. Register your opinion that City Council and Vision Vancouver must institute significant harm reduction before this casino can go ahead.
In light of the recent Kendall Report on the rise in severe gambling addiction, we ask the City of Vancouver to refer the Edgewater Casino application back from the Development Permit Board (Dec. 16 meeting) to City Council for further review and a discussion about harm reduction. For more information, click “Read the petition.”
Thank you!
[emailpetition id=”1″]
[signaturelist id=”1″]
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December 6, 2013:
Vancouver not vegas calls on city of Vancouver’s permit Development board to refer edgewater Casino proposal back to city council
For a permalink to this post, click here.
On December 16, 2013, the City of Vancouver’s Development Permit Board (DPB) will review a development permit application for a new Edgewater Casino at BC Place.
On October, 17, the BC government’s Kendall Report, conducted by BC’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Perry Kendall, demonstrated that gambling addiction is very widespread and that it has doubled over the past five years.
In light of the Kendall report, Vancouver Not Vegas and its supporters make the following requests of the City of Vancouver and its DPB:
Vancouver Not Vegas asks the City of Vancouver’s Development Permit Board return the Edgewater Casino proposal to City Council for further review.
In October, BC Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall issued a report warning that governments must do more to curb severe gambling addiction in BC.
In 2011 Vancouver City Council unanimously rejected the expansion of gambling licenses for Edgewater Casino, and approved the relocation of the casino to BC Place.
On December 16, the proposed Edgewater Casino goes to the Development Permit Board for approval. If it passes there, construction can commence before Christmas.
No further public hearings will be held.
In light of the Kendall recommendations and Vancouver’s Healthy City Strategy, Vancouver Not Vegas calls for the Edgewater application be returned to City Council for comprehensive public review and implementation of a harm reduction strategy for the casino.
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october 17, 2013: The Kendall Report
Perry Kendall, BC’s Chief Medical Officer, published a report on October 17, 2013 showing that gambling addiction has doubled in BC over the past 5 years. Gambling addiction is one of the most hidden and deadly of addictions, affecting whole families and communities and costing the BC health and other public systems. There has yet to a reaction from the BC government or the City of Vancouver to this report. This is a serious public health issue. Why has there been no gov’t reaction to this damning government report?
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September: VNV PRESS CONFERENCE on SEPT 24, 2013 in response to renewed paragon proposal for massive casino at bc place
Please read our statement regarding Paragon’s announcement of plans to build a $535m “Casino Resort” at BC Place Stadium.
And please share on Twitter and Facebook. Thank you! Links to these are above.
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JULY: Vancouver Not Vegas Submission to the Development Permit Board
July 15, 2013
Vancouver Not Vegas is a coalition of citizens and community groups advocating for a healthy urban environment, and concerned about the proliferation of casinos in Vancouver.
Paragon Gaming, the BC Lottery Corporation and PavCo have a history of failing to disclose material facts and circumstances to the public, including the status of signed agreements and the existence of independent revenue projections that conflict with inflated numbers provided to City officials and the public.
Our position respecting today’s application is to take no position, but to state on the record that
1. Vancouver Not Vegas objects to the lack of transparency and public disclosure surrounding future plans for the Edgewater Casino. Under the Gaming Control Act, the public is entitled to full notice of all material circumstances surrounding proposed casinos, yet the public knows nothing at all about what will transpire;
2. To comply with the Gaming Control legislation, it will be necessary for Paragon Gaming’s relocation to BC Place to return to City Council for public hearings. To date:
• No plans or drawings for the site have been publicly disclosed,
• No net revenue projections nor host city revenue impact has been disclosed or independently verified;
• There has been no disclosure of public subsidies in the form of lease forgiveness, construction subsidies or environmental remediation to be born by the BC taxpayer.
3. As gaming revenues in the new location will not substantially increase, but construction and operation costs will, it is probable that the proposed relocation of Edgewater Casino will result in decreased revenue to the City and provincial government, unless it is significantly altered.
4. It is reported that Paragon is in discussions with other gaming providers. What is the subject of those discussions—ie, is Paragon looking to sell its interest, or is it in discussions to expand its gaming capacity in some form of amalgamation or joint venture that materially alters the proposed development?
Before the City exercises its discretion in favour of the applicant’s request for an extension of its gambling permit, we ask for Paragon to publicly disclose the nature of its discussions with other gaming interests, and to commit to limiting its intended licenses to those already approved for the site, i.e. 500 slot machines and 65 gaming tables.
Link to this media release is here.
Media contact:
Sandy Garossino
Please text queries to:
778-231-5230
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 2, 2013: Vancouver Not Vegas Issues Court Challenge to PavCo and Paragon BC Place Casino Plan
May 2, 2013, Vancouver: Vancouver Not Vegas announced today that it will proceed with the action it filed in November 2011 in the BC Supreme Court challenging City Council’s approval of relocation of the Edgewater Casino to BC Place.
The decision to proceed with the action results from PavCo’s announcement that it has signed an agreement to lease with Paragon Gaming Corporation allowing construction of a casino on the BC Place site. There has been no public disclosure or public hearing concerning the terms of the Edgewater Casino proposal contrary to the BC Gaming Control Act Regulation.
Sandy Garossino, co-founder of Vancouver Not Vegas, says “this project has all the earmarks of a financial fiasco. Incredibly, the public knows even less about the Edgewater Casino proposal today than it did in 2010. Once again PavCo has announced a done deal to the public, only this time without even the courtesy of telling us what we are committed to.”
PavCo was going to lease the land to Paragon for $6 million per year. In September 2012, the Vancouver Sun reported that PavCo expects to reduce the rent to $3 million a year. The current proposal does not reflect the highest and best use of the site. Nor does it provide any indication of any return to the City.
Coalition spokesman, Ian Pitfield, says “no disclosure has ever been made to the public detailing what’s proposed now, nor has any community input been sought as required by the Gaming Act and the Regulation. Nobody knows what’s planned for the site, whether the City will lose money on it, how much public money will go into building it, or whether and how much the taxpayer will subsidize leases on public land.”
No date has been fixed for the hearing of the action.
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For background on the original petition, click here.
Media contact:
Ian Pitfield at 604-828-5494
ihp@pitfield.com
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It may have appeared that we defeated the mega-casino back in April 2011, but it’s not completely over. Vision Vancouver passed a rezoning in November 2011 allowing PavCo and Paragon to build a 2.6 acre casino for its existing 600+ slots. Why? We’re watching the BC Place and casino situations closely. Over summer and fall 2012 PavCo and BCLC held meetings (the subject of which remains undisclosed despite FOI requests), and in April 2013 the BC government announced a deal with Paragon for a smaller casino at BC Place, while the NDP have floated the idea of selling BC Place. What’s up? Stay tuned.
PLEASE READ OUR REPORT CONTAINING OUR ONGOING OBJECTIONS TO THE CASINO AT BC PLACE.
Our report includes arguments from the perspective of public health and addiction, urban planning, polling & public opinion, financial & economic development considerations, and more. It also contains our long list of endorsers.
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Congratulations, Surrey BC!
Surrey’s citizens led by a group called No Casino in South Surrey worked hard to oppose a new resort casino, and on Jan. 18, Surrey City Council voted against a casino 5-4 with Mayor Diane Watts casting the deciding vote against.
The two largest cities in B.C, Vancouver and Surrey, have now said no to new and expanded casinos. Let’s hope this sends a message to other municipalities in BC and beyond. More on the Surrey story here.
Visit the Surrey group’s website, Twitter and Facebook.
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Congratulations, Toronto!
Toronto citizens successfully fought a mega-casino proposed by OLG (equivalent to our BC Lottery Corp) and corruption-ridden MGM Casinos. The final decision was made at Toronto City Hall in June 2013. Congratulations to No Casino Toronto for their win after a lot of hard work.
Visit No Casino Toronto’s website, Twitter and Facebook page.
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April, 2011
We won! Thanks to the thousands of Vancouverites who helped us defeat the mega-casino.
The final casino hearing & pavco’s last minute maneuvers
At the close, after all citizens had spoken, PavCo and David Podmore attempted an 11th-hour change of their proposal, asking for 1200 slots rather than 1500. (With option to expand later… to 1500. Within 2 years. Apparently this was a “compromise.”)
this is unacceptable.
Memo to PavCo, Paragon, and BCLC:
This is not a game. A good faith public consultation process lies at the heart of all gambling expansion applications in the province. It dishonours the people of British Columbia when Crown corporations try to game the public in such a cynical way. See our media release here.
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Most Vancouverites don’t like gambling or gambling expansion.
A majority of Vancouverites strongly opposed the casino plan, just as they opposed a similar plan (also spearheaded by David Podmore) in 1996. Over two decades, the proportion of Vancouverites who oppose gambling expansion has never really changed. Even when pollsters ask leading questions in polls paid for by casino proponents, those who oppose expansion significantly outnumber those in favour. We defeated a mega-casino in the 90s, we defeated this casino in 2011, and it’s fair to predict that any future casino plans will be defeated too.
To read about the first 3 nights of casino hearings, click here.
Cartoon by Olson in the Vancouver Courier, March 18, 2011, on the proposed Edgewater money laundering machine
Above: a “before” photo, without casino (and before stadium roof was removed). Below: proposed casino location and design.
In the drawing above, the white building at the right indicates the condo hi-rise you see in the photo below (with vertical yellow stripe).
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Note: TO REACH THE Citizens’ GROUP FIGHTING THE JUMBO BILLBOARDS that have been installed around BC PLACE by pavco, CLICK HERE. (They’re a separate initiative.)
Above, Jumbotron advertising behind bronze Terry Fox
sculpture at Terry Fox Plaza. Below, video showing Min. Pat Bell claiming that PavCo has dealt with the problem and conferred with the City, neither of which is true.
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