Quote:
Originally Posted by Acajack
I was living in Ottawa at the time and I seem to recall discussions about Ottawa urgently needing to get on board with a casino because one was going to open in Hull. Can't find any articles though.
One thing I did find is that Ontario and Quebec got into the casino business around the same time. Around 1992-1993. Quebec seems to have opened its first casinos slightly earlier. Montreal's opened in 1993 but I think Ontario's first in Windsor only opened a year or two later.
At best, Ottawa if it had acted quickly would probably have had a downtown casino in place likely around the same time as the one in Hull opened in 1996.
|
I am looking at the Citizen archives and the debate concerning an Ottawa casino started in 1992 including at Rideau-Carleton as a result of Windsor being OK'd for a casino. The discussion about the possible opening of a casino in Hull started in 1993, so Ottawa had a slight head start. Obviously, Hull was much more decisive as they understood the potential economic benefits. As I recall, Ottawa politicians were only concerned about the downside of a casino possibly downtown, so it never was really seriously considered. As far as I recall, there was no specific location chosen. It never got that far, as has been the case with the most recent discussions of a new casino.
I am not sure also about the timing, but the bar scene in Hull died very suddenly when hours were harmonized with Ontario in order to end the lawlessness that was happening at closing time. The need of the casino revenue may have been pushed by the loss of bar business, but without the problems that the latter produced.
Threaded Mode