New casino?

[thistleclub]

It’s decision time on potential Woolwich casino
(KW Record, Greg Mercer, Mar 4 2013)

ELMIRA — For Woolwich Township Mayor Todd Cowan, it’s a chance to rewrite history. It may also be the biggest decision he’s faced yet.

After months of debate, public meetings and arguments on both sides, Woolwich Township’s leaders will vote Tuesday night whether or not to tell the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. they’d be a willing host for a casino.

If they vote yes, Waterloo Region could become home to a casino with as many as 1,200 slots and hundreds of tables — a prospect that doesn’t sit well with Woolwich’s neighbouring urban municipalities.

A proposal by the rural township that suggests the potential casino could go on the border with either Waterloo or Kitchener has only increased that tension. Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr has argued the region ought to have a say on a project that could impact shared policing and social services.

But for Cowan, this is Woolwich’s decision to make, with millions of dollars on the line. The township estimates a casino could generate about $4 million a year in hosting revenue, which it says could be used to fix roads, bridges and other infrastructure.