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City council is not enthusiastic about the possibility of a Camrose casino moving to south Edmonton.
Traffic impacts, needed multimillion-dollar road upgrades, short timelines for the public to weigh in, less money for Edmonton charities, and the potential to add more social problems to the city because of gambling addictions, were among concerns council members raised at a special meeting at city hall on Thursday.
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Capital City Casino Ltd. is asking Alberta Gaming Liquor and Cannabis (AGLC) for a second time to move its Camrose casino to a site just north of Ellerslie Road and Parsons Road in south Edmonton, south of Anthony Henday Drive. AGLC refused its first application but the company applied again Aug. 2 to build the 88,000-square-foot facility with 498 slot machines and 25 game tables.
City administration supports the plan because it’s a good investment opportunity, will pull in at least $400,000 more every year in taxes, and because it will create jobs, while noting concerns from neighbours, charities — who could lose five per cent of casino revenues, with local First Nations losing up to two per cent — and other casino operators because of the added competition. City administrators warned that, because the zoning allows for casinos, council opposing here could send a bad message to other companies looking to invest in Edmonton.
But while Mayor Amarjeet Sohi hears about the economic opportunity, he’s concerned about the potential for more social problems stemming from gambling addictions, and the short time period over the summer when the public can weigh in.
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“Whether it’s mental health issues, addictions issues, people losing homes because of addictions, gambling addictions — we are impacted disproportionately by social issues. Adding another casino is going to add to those social issues,” he said during the meeting.
“Just giving two weeks of time for consultation is unacceptable.”
Sohi and other council members are worried about the added cost of upgrading the roads because of higher traffic it would generate. Council heard that widening Parsons Road from 19 Avenue to Ellerslie Road would cost about $13 million, and widening Ellerslie Road to 91 Street would add about $3.5 million more.
“I’m just tired of paying through taxpayer dollars for upgrades to infrastructure that benefits …” the mayor said, trailing off.
City council stopped short of finalizing opposition to the application Thursday in a letter they plan to send to the AGLC. Instead, they delayed, asking city administration to draft a letter and come back with the final version Aug. 20. Council will have one last chance to review before finalizing its position.
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The letter will highlight the brief public consultation period of just over two weeks, the impact on charities, and the need for provincial infrastructure funding. Members of the public can write to AGLC to express their point of view until Aug. 21.
Coun. Keren Tang said she’s heard many perspectives on the issue — and has met with the casino operators — so she not taking the position she’s making lightly.
She also wrote an open letter asking the AGLC to “reconsider this proposal” because of major concerns. On Thursday she said the extra traffic putting pressure on existing roads and city infrastructure is her top concern — as well as the consultation and social-issue elements.
“One of the key issues here is a lack of social infrastructure, but the answer is not to find another revenue stream for them by fuelling another form of addiction. The answer is to fund these communities adequately … that has not happened,” she said during the meeting.
This is also an issue of the province not adequately funding municipalities, she said, with social and physical infrastructure.
“I just don’t think that we should be supporting a project like this that comes at the neglect of this government,” Tang said. “While there may be tax uplift, while there may be jobs created … it will be a net loss for the city as a whole.”
lboothby@postmedia.com
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