Tag Archives: public forum

Public Forum on Casino plan, Wed Feb 9 in Chinatown

Posted on February 5, 2011 | 3 comments

UPDATE: Thanks to the many people who came out on Wednesday night despite hockey traffic and difficult parking. Bing Thom, Peter Ladner and Sandy Garossino gave great speeches, the crowd was fired up, and there is a high level of community commitment to fight this casino plan until it is stopped.

Observations from the meeting:

The stories of political corruption, backroom deals, faulty bidding processes and serious allegations of conflict of interest really angered the crowd;

The term “moratorium on gaming expansion”  received applause whenever it was spoken; this is in fact our next strategy, to demand that City Council sever the gaming expansion section from the Edgewater zoning application in which it is deeply buried, and put gaming expansion in Vancouver to a plebiscite or referendum of some kind;

People want a better vision for Vancouver, one that doesn’t involved addiction, crime, corruption – they want to see a more wholesome international image for our city, and they want better architecture and better urban planning.

Thanks for coming, everyone! Now it’s time to do your part – click the “What Can I Do” tab above, and write to Mayor and Council, and please show up on February 17!

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With the exception of the Public Hearings on February 17 at City Hall, this will be the most important event in this fight against the planned downtown mega-casino. PLEASE ATTEND! Prominent Vancouver architect Bing Thom and publisher Peter Ladner will be giving the keynote speeches. Come down early and start the evening off with a dinner in Chinatown or Gastown!

If you plan to attend the public hearings over the casino, or even speak at them, you will find Wednesday’s Forum very informative. The story about the casino is fascinating – come hear it!

To download a PDF of our invitation that you can send out to your networks, click: Vancouver Not Vegas.

PLEASE DOWNLOAD THE LOGO BELOW AND UPLOAD IT TO YOUR FACEBOOK  (and Twitter) as your avatar! Thanks, everyone!

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PUBLIC FORUM Feb. 9 on massive casino expansion for Vancouver – come & be heard!

Posted on February 3, 2011 | 2 comments

Democracy consists, unfortunately, in citizens showing up to meetings. Sad fact, but true!

Please join us:

Chinese Cultural Centre in Chinatown (Stadium-Chinatown skytrain station)
7 pm, Wednesday February 9
(See the Facebook event page)
50 East Pender Street between Carrall and Columbia
(travel instructions to the site, click the link above)

Please come out. You will have fun, meet a mix of people, and feel good about helping us demonstrate our numbers. Bring your ideas and your concerns about the proposed Edgewater mega-casino.

If we approve this mega-casino in Vancouver—if this public land is effectively given away to a sketchy Vegas company on an endless 70 year lease—we will never be able to get rid of it. Is this the image we want for Vancouver, internationally? No other major Canadian city has put a casino in its downtown core, or even close to residential areas. Once we go down this path, we can’t turn around. They don’t just want to put this casino in our downtown, they want to make this the biggest casino in Western Canada, and to have it built by a company that has only ever built truck stop, highway-side, trailer park casinos. The City of Vancouver has not done studies that indicate what the true economic costs of a casino are, but they easily make up a sum in the millions. And for what, $17 million a year? That’s not enough of an inducement for Vancouver – that’s a pittance in the City budget. This is a bad idea. Come out and have your say.

Vancouver will only be forced to make the right decision if the citizens of Vancouver show up and get involved.

Thank you!

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Schedule of Edgewater Casino-related events: February

Posted on January 28, 2011 | 4 comments

February is THE month for letting City Hall know how you feel about the Edgewater mega-casino in Vancouver. 

The public hearings begin at City Hall on February 17. It is imperative that citizens show up to events – particularly the two events in darker red below – and write letters!

February 1, City Hall. Please come! Citizens can speak to Councillor Ellen Woodsworth’s motion to suspend the Edgewater rezoning/expansion application until the BC government lives up to its obligations to fund charities. PLEASE SHOW UP! Even if it’s only to sit in the gallery. The agenda for Feb.1 is here. The motion is last in the morning session so it will be late-ish. You can watch online to see how quickly the morning’s agenda is going.

February 8, City Hall’s information meeting. Location TBA, watch this space. City staff will present their Edgewater plans, and it’s likely that BC gov’t people, David Podmore of PavCo (BC Pavilion Co., the crown corp dealing with the stadium and other BC gov’t owned lands), Paragon and BC Lottery Corp people will be there, along with the CAW Union (Canadian Auto Workers union would have the contract for the casino jobs). It’s worth having citizens show up as well, to make their feelings known.

February 9, Public Forum , 7 pm WE NEED ALL CONCERNED VANCOUVER CITIZENS TO SHOW UP. The press will be there, and this will send a message to City Hall that Vancouverites have opinions about this casino plan. Event is organized by the Vancouver Not Vegas! Coalition (that’s us) at the Chinese Cultural Centre 50 E. Pender Street (two blocks W. of Main) Chinatown, Vancouver Stadium-Chinatown Skytrain Station February 10, Vancouver Board of Trade This is a registration-only event hosted by David Podmore of PavCo and Scott Menke of Paragon Gaming The Board of Trade is pro-casino. As is Tourism Vancouver, Concord, etc. They will all be in attendance.

February 17, Public Hearing on Edgewater Casino expansion and rezoning Sign up to speak at this! Or just come – we must fill the gallery. Sign-up info to come. City Hall Cambie Street & 12th Avenue, Vancouver

WHAT CAN YOU DO? 1. If we are going to defeat this casino, you must come out to these events! We need numbers. And sign up to speak at City Council on the 17th. 2. Crucial: everyone must write a letter. It takes less than 5 mins; we’ve done the work for you. 3.  Sign the BCACG’s petition. It seems that City Council may be looking for a way to avoid this casino, and only enormous public involvement will give them the power to say no to this plan. Vancouverites should be able to decide what sort of city they want.

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