[markbarbera]

I could understand a neighborhood association opposing a casino if it was being proposed for a residential area, but that isn't the case here. A casino should be part of a hotel entertainment complex in a commercial area of a city, as is the case in Niagara Falls, Windsor and Brantford for example. It anchors and attracts tourism-related business, something sorely needed for the city.

I also would like people to look at this objectively rather than adopting a knee-jerk opposition to the idea. As Steeltown has mentioned, the mayor of Brantford is on the record as saying he was wrong to oppose the casino there back when it was originally proposed, now that he sees the positive impact it has had on Brantford. He specifically mentions that there has been no uptick in policing or social services costs attributable to the casino, making baseless the fear that a casino would increase crime and social addiction there. I also like how city revenue from the Brantford casino is used to fund downtown improvement projects and would like to see the same applied here should the city proceed with a casino.

The push for a referendum is wrong-headed. The intentions may be honorable, but it sets a dangerous precedent. Shall we have a referendum on LRT and two-way conversions as well? Councillors were elected to make the decisions, not defer them to isolate themselves politically from potential hot potatoes.