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The Case for Opposing the Expansion of Edgewater Casino

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OPPOSING THE EXPANSION OF EDGEWATER CASINO THE CASE OPPOSING THE EXPANSION OF EDGEWATER FOR CASINO Vancouver Not Vegas Coalition April 15, 2011 http://vancouvernotvegas.ca OPPOSING THE EXPANSION OF EDGEWATER CASINO Civic & BC political leaders Judges, lawyers, law enforcement, Ken Pickering Jonathan Baker, Former City Councillor criminology Lynne Stopkewich, film director May Brown, Order of BC, Order of Canada Prof. Neil Boyd, SFU School of Michael Turner, Writer Hon. Pat Carney Criminology Ian Wallace Marguerite Ford, Order of BC, Former City Dr. Colin Campbell, Criminologist Councillor Sgt. Bob Cooper, retired VPD, gang specialist Economists, business & public leaders, Gordon Gibson, Order of BC Peter Ditchfield, former Deputy Chief of businesses Peter Ladner, Former City Councillor Organized Crime Agency of BC David Allison, Braun Allison Dianne Ledingham, Former Vancouver Park Jack Giles, QC Val and Richard Bradshaw; Mr. Bradshaw is Board Commissioner S/Sgt Peter Montague (Ret'd) RCMP former CEO of Phillips Hager & North Tim Louis, Former City Councillor Earl Moulton, Retired Commander of Investment Management Ltd. Stuart Mackinnon, Park Board Commissioner, Saskatchewan RCMP, Chair, Vision Quest Donna Bridgeman, CA, (ret'd) GrowthWorks Green Party of Vancouver Recovery Society Capital Darlene Marzari, Former City Councillor/BC Ian Pitfield, Retired judge Alix Brown, past owner, Dexter Properties MLA for Point Grey Michael Walker, Lawyer (commercial real Karen Flavelle, President and CEO, Purdy's Setty Pendakur, Former City Councillor estate/hospitality) Chocolates George Puil, Former City Councillor Cameron Ward Richard Lipsey, Order of Canada, Prof. Katherine Wellburn, insolvency lawyer, Emeritus of Economics, SFU, world-renowned Community builders & Philanthropists former Registrar in Bankruptcy economist Herb Barbolet, Sustainable development Patrick Reid, Order of Canada expert, Founder, Farm Folk/City Folk Retired policing officers Arran & Ratana Stephens, Nature's Path Bill Chu Assistant Commissioner Earl Moulton – Lea Watson, Owner, Canterbury Tales, 4th Michael Clague, Order of Canada RCMP Commanding Officer Saskatchewan Ave/Commercial Drive Mo Dhaliwal, Chair, Van. Int'l Bhangra (Ret’d) Chair of Vision Quest Recovery Bikes On The Drive Celebration Society (Addiction recovery services, BC) Attic Treasures, Commercial Drive Jean Swanson, Award-winning anti-poverty Detective Ian Pope, Organized Crime Agency Bioethique activist of B.C., formerly VPD, (Ret’d) Milton Wong, Chancellor Emeritus SFU, Sergeant Ivan Chu, New Westminster Police Commentators & press Order of Canada, Order of BC Service (Ret’d) David Berner Fred Mah Superintendent GlennWoods, Officer in Alex G. Tsakumis Charge of Behavioural Sciences, RCMP Architects, planners, urbanists & city (Ret’d) Clergy & religious leaders builders Staff Sergeant Otto Bertagnolli, RCMP Drug Rev. James Ip, Chair, Vancouver Chinese Richard Balfour, Architect Section (Ret’d) Evangelical Ministerial Fellowship (Assn of Peter Busby, Order of Canada, Founder and Staff Sergeant Scot Filer, RCMP Major Crime approx 120 Canadian Chinese churches in Chair, Canada Green Building Council Section (Ret’d) Metro Vancouver Penny Gurstein, UBC School of Community Corporal Howard Parks, RCMP Money Rev. Dr. Ted Ng, Lead Pastor, Faith & Regional Planning Laundering Expert (Ret’d) Community Christian Church Colleen Hardwick (Nystedt), Urban Corporal Chris Mathers, RCMP Money Christ Church Cathedral: geographer, film producer Laundering Expert (Ret’d) The Very Reverend Dr. Peter Elliott, Dean, Ned Jacobs, urbanist Sergeant Pat Powell, RCMP Threat The Venerable Dr. Ellen Clark-King, Nick Milkovich, Architect Assessment Expert (Ret’d) Associate Cornelia Oberlander, Order of Canada Inspector Keith Davidson, RCMP Major The Reverend Alisdair Smith, Deacon Mark Osburn, Architect Crime Section (Ret’d) The Reverend Chris Dierkes, Curate, Anthony Perl, Dir. SFU Urban Studies Staff Sergeant Bob Hartl, RCMP Security The Reverend Dixie Black, Deacon Program Engineering Expert (Ret’d) St. Andrew’s Wesley United Church: Bing Thom, Order of Canada Dr Teal Maedel, RCMP Operational Rev. Gary Paterson, Senior Minister Psychologist (Major Crime Section) Jennifer Cunnings, Minister of Children, Academics & policy Staff Sergeant Robert Stenhouse, RCMP Drug Families and Seniors Jack Blaney, Order of Canada, Pres. Emeritus Section (Ret’d) Tim Scorer, Minister of Adult Formation SFU Staff Sergeant Sid Slater, RCMP Major Crime Michael Dobbin, Director of Development Ann Cowan, ED SFU Harbour Section (Ret’d) Central Presbyterian Church: Centre/Morris J. Wosk Centre Staff Sergeant Tibi Roman, RCMP Border Rev. Jim Smith, Minister Dominique Gross, School of Public Policy, Integrity (serving) First Baptist Church: SFU Rev. Darrell W. Johnson, Senior Minister Doug McArthur, School of Public Policy, SFU Creative leaders Rev. Dr. John Cuddeford, Minister Dr. Marlene Moretti, CIHR Sr Research Chair, Mani Amar, filmmaker Andrea Tisher, Dir. of Music & Worship SFU George Bowering, former Poet Laureate of Rev. Bob Swann, Minister of Mission & Seth Klein, BC Director, Canadian Centre for Canada, OC, OBC Justice Policy Alternatives Hank Bull, artist/founder, Western Front Judy Lang, Ass. Minister for Congregational Michael Stevenson, President Emeritus, SFU Stan Douglas, Artist Care Yosef Wosk, Order of BC Rodney Graham, Artist Pastor Janet G. Porcino, Minister of Catriona Jeffries Discipleship Medical, health & addictions: Brian Jungen Luz Figueroa, Director of Children and Family Dr. John Blatherwick, Order of Canada, Shane Koyczan, poet Ministries Former Chief Medical Health Officer of Alma Lee, Order of Canada Rev. Abraham Han, Minister of Urban & Vancouver 1984 - 2007 Mark Leiren-Young Community Life Dr. Stephen Drance, Order of Canada Ken Lum, Artist St. Paul's Anglican Church: Virginia Giles, Order of BC Dan Mangan, musician The Rev. Markus Duenzkofer, Incumbent Dr. Tom Perry, MD, Former cabinet minister Judith Marcuse Candace Plattor, Addiction therapist Colin Miles, City Opera Alda Pereira, Designer Vancouver Not Vegas Coalition April 15, 2011 http://vancouvernotvegas.ca OPPOSING THE EXPANSION OF EDGEWATER CASINO TABLE OF CONTENTS Executive Summary ........................................................................................................................ 1 Introduction ..................................................................................................................................... 2 Urban Planning ............................................................................................................................... 3 Public Health and Addictions ......................................................................................................... 4 Casino Location and Public Health................................................................................................. 6 Casinos and Crime .......................................................................................................................... 7 Public Opinion Polling Results ....................................................................................................... 9 Viability of Casino as an Economic Development Strategy ......................................................... 11 Financial Benefits of Casino Expansion ....................................................................................... 12 Conclusion .................................................................................................................................... 13 Vancouver Not Vegas Coalition April 15, 2011 http://vancouvernotvegas.ca OPPOSING THE EXPANSION OF EDGEWATER CASINO EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The Mayor and Council have a very difficult decision about whether or not to approve a significant expansion of a casino in downtown Vancouver. Those in favour of the proposal have focussed on the top-line revenue to the Province and the City of the expanded casino. Those in opposition have much broader concerns about the consequences of an expansion to the City. We believe there are major financial and public policy issues that call into question the expansion of this downtown casino. In brief these are: Financial The quantum of the top-line gambling revenues from expansion are controversial, even between the proponents’ own experts. City staff are clearly uncomfortable providing an opinion of the financial benefits of the expansion. An April 5th memo to Council stated that “Council are not in a position to evaluate the validity of the authors’ assumptions. The BC Lottery Corporation has informed the City of Vancouver that they have not independently verified GMA’s assumptions and projections for additional gaming revenue.” City’s Values Peter Busby and Dr. Penny Gurstein, both experts on urban planning oppose the casino expansion, stating that “Council’s ultimate decision on the project will test the fundamental values Vancouver has worked hard to achieve and will set forth a vision for the city’s future. … The presence of this megacasino in the downtown core threatens to undermine Vancouver’s values while running contrary to the vision of a municipality that aspires to be the greenest city in the world in less than a decade.” Crime Eighteen retired senior policing specialists oppose the expansion, stating that “Without significant changes in the policing protocol, and the adoption of rigorous crime control standards for casinos such as those employed by the Ontario Provincial Police, we are in no position
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