Council preparing to take casino question to the people

Updated Hamilton city council is pushing ahead with plans for a possible new casino – but first it wants to find out what residents think of the idea.

Five councillors on the city’s Gambling Facility sub-committee met this afternoon to keep thrashing out this idea. But before they make any decision about accepting a new casino and making a recommendation to the provincial government, they want to get the public’s input.

The committee is recommending two ways of getting public opinion. One is phone poll of about 40 thousand residents. The other would be two public meetings where people could speak out. One at city hall and one in Flamborough. They both have to be done within about five weeks, so the city can tell the province what it wants.

But the councillors still don’t know for sure how much the city would benefit from a casino. Flamboro Downs, with slot machines, contributes 800 thousand dollars in taxes and four and a-half million dollars in revenue to the city each year. a larger, new casino could provide more, but the councillors don’t know. And that’s part of the mix in any decision.

Video: Al Sweeney reports: