North Bay is preparing for the future construction of a casino venue, but in the months leading to the official information issuing the City Council prepares with essential motions. At the most recent Council meeting Councilors Tanya Vrebosch and Johanne Brousseau introduced a motion that prompts a report on how community organizations could benefit from a casino venue operation through regular allocations.
In the foreseeable future Gateway Casinos and Entertainment is expected to work on its casino proposal and reveal more around the exact location where it is going to build its North Bay gambling venue. There have been discussions throughout the last few months, but for the time being, only previously mentioned parcels of land have been mentioned, without anything set in stone. Even though the community has not been that welcoming towards the idea of a new casino venue, now Council members are willing to warm them up to the idea with community organizations allocations.
Community Organizations Set to Benefit from Casino Revenue
With the help of this new motion, the Chief Administrative Officer will have the task to take care of a special report that will evaluate the possible allocations. Gaming revenue generated by the casino venue will be able to support various community projects and community organizations are projected to benefit from it as well. Projections show that the City could receive up to CA$2 million a year. Moreover, the report will also aim to clarify the criteria for qualifying for those regular allocations.
Councilors Vrebosch and Brousseau expect this report to be of great use in the upcoming several months, as this is a pivotal point of the entire project. Once all i’s are dotted and all t’s crossed, a committee is going to review it and take into account the information listed in it. At the moment there are many questions and details yet to be revealed when it comes to the casino operation in North Bay, but there is something the community should be aware of – the City Council wants to support North Bay organizations.
Bingo is one of the ways in which local charitable organizations continue existing, as the association is able to allocate around CA$1.2 million per year to some 60 local organizations. A new gaming venue might affect existing charitable bingo operation in North Bay and this has been among the main points expressed by the opposition of the casino venue. For the time being, Council members state they cannot make any estimations, as the construction has not even commenced. The only way they can reassure people is through this recent motion for a report.
Endangered Turtles Also Made their Way in the Conversation
In addition to this, the adopted motion also mandates that individuals experiencing gambling addiction would also receive adequate help and support in order to overcome their unhealthy interest in gambling. Prevention is also an essential part of battling the serious issue. At the moment there is no information on the number of people currently struggling with problem gambling which is why the board prompted baseline research that would shed more light.
It could be recalled that last year Hec Lavigne, Mayor of Callander indicated that once the casino venue launches operation neighboring communities should also have the opportunity to benefit from its operation. This could be possible with the help of a revenue-sharing arrangement that will include neighboring communities in addition to North Bay. At the City Council meeting, members also looked through claims that proposed Pinewood Park Drive construction will negatively affect the protected Blanding’s turtles natural habitat.
Save the Turtle, Stop the Casino is the group that raised awareness on this issue during last week’s meeting. However, Mrs. Brousseau pointed out that while the endangered species act was already in effect the area saw sports fields construction. In the last week, other possible locations have been discussed and they are the Steve Omischl Sports Complex, West Ferris arena, and Memorial Gardens. The casino operator has not yet pinpointed an exact location of future casino operation.
