TORONTO, Ont. – A large number of people in attendance at a consultation meeting regarding a proposed casino in downtown Toronto believe it’s a bad idea, citing worries of crime, congestion and an increased risk of addiction.

The meeting, which was held Wednesday evening, was made public to let Torontonians weigh in on the contentious proposal. It was organized by the Toronto and East York Community Council, and Councillor Adam Vaughan.

The event began with NDP Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns expressing his constituents’ concerns over the idea.

“The people of Toronto-Danforth riding overwhelmingly reject any proposal to locate a casino in the Port Lands. A majority reject any new casino on Toronto’s waterfront,” he said.

Beside him were members of No Casino Toronto who say developing a casino in the city will result in a net loss of jobs and not a gain, pulling jobs away from those in casinos outside the city. Last week, the group launched an online petition to mobilize opposition to the proposal.

A 45-minute Q and A period followed, as local councillors peppered Bill Rutsey, the president and CEO of the Canadian Gaming Association, with questions and concerns.

“No to casinos,” said one woman. “No for the sake of our social fabric, no for the sake for our youth.”

“Why on earth would Toronto need a casino with all of the other things there are to do here?” asked another woman.

“What happens to all the businesses around this building?” asked another. “What is that casino going to bring? Is it going to bring corporations because it’s making our city better? No, it doesn’t bring anything in. What it brings in, it stays in that building.”

However, Carlos Pimentel, who is a part of the Carpenters Union, feels there is a positive side to building a massive gaming facility in the city.

“I think we’re looking to give opportunities to our current membership. Also to continue to attract young people to the trade, to give them the hope to continue to work in the future,” he told the crowd.

Liz Pimentel, President of Unite Here Local 75 representing hotel and hospitality workers, said she would support a casino, but only if it “creates thousands of good union jobs, it is a good financial deal for the city, it includes a local hiring and training program, and it meets a high level of green development and standards.”

Nonetheless, George, a business owner from Parkdale, says one casino won’t make much of a difference.

“You can’t open one casino and think that you’re going to make money,” he said. “I recommend opening about 20, and then I will put that to the people of Toronto and ask if you want 20 casinos, because that’s the only way it works.”

Rutsey has said a casino in Toronto will result in 12,000 well-paying jobs and a one-of-a-kind destination for tourists.

“We’ve had almost two decades of history with casino gaming in Toronto communities. What’s really under consideration now is whether or not to work together to realize a once-in-a-lifetime game changing, iconic entertainment development,” he told the crowd.

Meanwhile, the Canadian Gaming Association has launched a new website, which Rutsey told CityNews Channel “has been designed to cut through the rhetoric and provide the facts and information to help people come to an informed opinion.”

“The question currently under consideration isn’t ‘should casino gaming be allowed in Toronto?’. It’s whether or not a destination resort of which about 10 per cent will be the casino component, should be located and developed in the downtown core,” he told the crowd – which included trade union partners such as the CAW – at the Sheraton Hotel, Wednesday afternoon.

A second city staff report on a casino proposal will go to council’s executive committee on November 5. 

To visit the Toronto Casino Facts website, click here.

Another city looking to welcome a new casino is Ottawa. The federal capital’s city council has approved letting the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission accept proposals from the private sector for its construction.