A huge casino complex planned for Vancouver that would include a gaming floor the size of two NFL football fields has drawn the ire of locals worried about the fallout from increased gambling.
The proposal would see the Edgewater Casino move from its present location to beside BC Place Stadium and expand to include a hotel-entertainment complex with 1,500 slot machines and up to 150 gaming tables.
A public hearing will be held on Feb.17 to discuss the plan, which has drawn criticism from high profile Vancouverites such as former city councillor Peter Ladner and architect Bing Thom.
Las Vegas-based Paragon Development Inc, which bought Edgewater in 2006, claims the $450-million casino will create up to 1,900 jobs and attract tourists, which will benefit Vancouver businesses.
About 200 people, many of them casino employees, attended a public forum on Feb. 9 in support of the Edgewater expansion.
But opponents are concerned that a casino of this size will create more social problems, addictions, and crime in the city.
Sandra Garossino of Vancouver Not Vegas, a coalition of anti-casino groups and concerned citizens, says the public needs to have a say in a decision that has the potential to affect the entire city.
“There has been no public consultation process here. Everything is going on behind closed doors and the public doesn’t know any of the information it needs. This is being slid by the public in the hopes no one will notice the scale of it,” she says.