Kitchener Mayor Carl Zehr doesn’t want a casino anywhere near his city.
Woolwich Mayor Todd Cowan wants a casino in his township, which happens to border Kitchener.
Both are part of Waterloo Region, but Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. rules say upper-tier municipalities like that one have no say in where gambling facilities are located.
So Zehr is taking things one step higher.
He plans to introduce a motion at next week’s city council meeting calling for a meeting between himself and Premier Kathleen Wynne to discuss why the region can’t have a say.
“There’s a fundamental flaw in the process … that is, the region is not involved in with the decision-making on this,” Zehr tells CTV.
Woolwich voted in favour of pursuing a casino in March. Other local municipalities have voted against having one located within their borders. Kitchener councillors will take their vote next week.
Zehr’s motion also calls on Woolwich to reconsider its interest in a casino, saying the money made by OLG on a facility would be on the backs of residents of neighbouring areas.
“That $130 million that's sent to OLG, that’s money that’s not going to be spent here,” he says.
“It’s not a product that we’re shipping out or an export, it’s our money.”
But Cowan says there’s no turning back from his council’s 4-1 vote.
“We’re going to continue on,” he says.
“We have done our work, we’ve done our research, we’ve done our homework.”
Region of Waterloo councillors voted against approving a casino Wednesday night, although that vote is essentially symbolic due to OLG regulations.
Speaking in Waterloo earlier this week, Wynne said a review might be warranted to determine if upper-tier municipalities should have more of a say in casino locations.
In an email to CTV News, an OLG spokesperson says the review will take place, but the details have yet to be finalized.
