"I know senior citizens in our little town who live on cat food while the Handy Dart picks them up regularly to take them to the casino." - Diane Coffield (The First Sentence -available at BOOKLAND)
The mandated public input meeting re the relocation and expansion of the Lake City Casino to Anderson Park was well attended for a meeting that basically may turn out to be a done deal. The Casino employees who spoke in favour of this relocation throughout this meeting were sincere in their belief that this new expanded facility would provide steady well paying employment and better and safer working conditions as well as a better entertainment product for their patrons.
Other public support was along the lines that since we already had the casino and it was better in a Vernon Location rather than in a neighboring border community or area where we would have all of the problems with none of the financial benefits. One gentleman introduced the idea of 'It's there so live with it' and drew the attention of Council to the idea of using any new Casino monies for social purposes.
I thought the majority of the non affiliated crowd who spoke against the expansion of Slots presented a range of arguments based on their personal life experiences with gambling up to a more clinical and analytic approach to the situation.
The most eloquent life experiences were expressed by author Diane Bateman (nee Coffield) whom had written about her experiences with addiction in a poignant book 'The First Sentence'. She spoke twice during the night and put a human face on the gambling related problems of addiction in this community. Her recounts of the person in a well paying position that actually made their car their home because of the monetary drains of slot addiction and her concluding remarks of the five suicides in Vernon caused by their gaming addictions were chilling and dominated the negative side of the argument.
There were several people who spoke more clinically on the effect of the Casino on the economy of the city and the negative drain that it caused. I was among this group of people and had presented a written report, the gist of which can be found at Casino Economic Inpact
and Social Responsibility Reserve and Social Responsibility Fund part deux ! .
My report served as the basis of questioning by some councillors later in the evening of the BCLC Public Relations Manage Mr. Greg Walker. In my ineloquent stumbling manner I tried to highlight the Economic burden imposed by gambling, cited the continual half truths that emanated from the provincial Government when questioned on their 'gaming' policies, called for a referendum on Jan 26 and proposed two new Social Responsibility type funds. One would be funded by a percentage of the new Casino money and the other would be a negotiated deal between the Casino operator and the City of Vernon to be used to combat the direct effects of gambling within our community.
Since the BCLC representatives hadn't availed themselves of the opportunity to speak, the Council starting with Coun. Beardsell and proceeding through Nichol, Cunningham and Mayor Lippert asked these two BCLC gentleman some pointed questions, some of which were answered and some of which were evaded. There was a promise made during this grilling that the answers to questions asked for as far back as July would be answered in a prompt manner as a matter of the 'highest priority' I got the impression that Council would forgo making a decision until these questions were answered.
Council's frustration was evidenced when the BCLC rep. invited Council to send a representative to Kelowna on Friday Nov. 16 to a conference about how the Province was handling problem gambling etc. Council's ire was raised when they were told that many of the Host communities throughout the Province would be in attendance but the BCLC couldn't recall if Vernon had been invited. (more on this meeting in another posting.) Coun Cunningham was particularity irate at this back handed last minute invite.
The Casino Operator who may be substantially better off later today if the Aussi Takeover of Gateway Casinos is consummated did not speak and was not asked any questions by Council. He was rightfully viewed as a operator of a legitimate business who was trying to improve the working conditions and job opportunities in the area, providing a better product for his customers and increase the return to his shareholders.
Any frustration and anger were directed at the Provincial Government and their representatives at the meeting from the British Columbia Lottery Corporation.
Let a gambling referendum begin so the people's will on this important topic be heard. The Provincial Government imposed the slots on Vernon and then bought us off with our 30 pieces of silver. Let the people decide if we want to forgo these new additional silver coins and remain as we are. Maybe if Council was so inclined they would bless the relocation but not the expansion !
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