Public to get its say on casino proposal

By Jeremy Deutsch - Kamloops This Week Published: September 18, 2008

Gateway wants to built new $25-million operation.Residents will get their say on a new downtown casino, as city council has approved the rezoning application for a public hearing later this month. But, before the hearing, council will send the application to the city’s social planning council to get its take on the development. Some members of city council cited a concern about the social impact of increased gaming.However, input from the social council may not mean much because the city doesn’t have a say on how many slots or tables the casino can have. Council’s say would come by virtue of it determining whether the development is a suitable land use. A preliminary design shows the new casino will have a bar, restaurant, gaming floor, poker rooms and slot machines. It’s not known just how many slot machines or gaming tables will be included in the casino. The rezoning application from Gateway Casinos and Entertainment is proposing a $25-million, 45,000 square-foot casino with a two-level, 220 stall underground parkade, all located at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Lorne Street.

Gateway operates the current 4,000 square-foot Lake City Casino in the Executive Inn next to the proposed site. Coun. Arjun Singh called it “short-sighted” to see the casino strictly as a land-use issue. “If you’re looking at expansion of gaming, there’s going to be some social impacts,” he said. Singh said he doesn’t know if he’ll oppose the development, but added the key is to get the information around the social impacts of an expansion of gaming. “We need to have that information,” he said. But Coun. Pat Wallace, who views it as a land-use issue, disagreed with Singh. Wallace said in this instance gaming is not an issue because the casino has a licence from the provincial government that governs what games take place. “I have a concern that [council] seems to jump in on social issues on every rezoning when, in fact, in some instances it isn’t a social issue what we’re dealing with,” Wallace said. The public hearing is scheduled for the night of Tuesday, Sept. 30.