This is the first anniversary of the Olympics Opening Ceremonies. Today Shane Koyczan joins our coalition against the Edgewater mega-casino and against gaming expansion in Vancouver and in BC in general. You probably remember Shane’s electric slam poetry performance at the 2011 Games ceremony – if you don’t, you can see it below. Thanks to Shane for lending his name to this fight. “We are More!”
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq_xddkO064]
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!
