MGM Pushing Hard for New Toronto Casino
This month, Toronto mayor Rob Ford's executive committee is expected to consider a proposal for a new casino in the city and pass the motion on to the council for a full vote sometime in April.
In the meantime, lobby efforts are intensifying, and the group most vocal in pushing for the casino to be given the green light to be built downtown, is large US casino operator, MGM.
MGM and its local Canadian developer partner, Cadillac Fairview, have not let up in their efforts, and can be seen on every front.
According to a recent article written by The Globe and Mail publication, the MGM-Cadillac Fairview team have hosted press conferences, and have met with Mayor Ford, deploying executives, legal counsel and construction experts to his office to provide him with as much information as he requires before he and the committee make their decision.
Impressive Work in Toronto Casino Lobbying
The team has also met with at least a dozen city councillors, courting them in the Ginger Snap suite of the Sheraton Hotel, which is strategically located near City Hall. The suite features a full scale model of Exhibition Place as it will look with a casino and tourist resort constructed, based on the plans put forward by MGM and Cadillac Fairview.
Councillors who were hosted by MGM and Cadillac Fairview could not help but come out of their meetings impressed with the professionalism and determination of the team.
Councillor Norm Kelly, known to be pro-Toronto casino and a member of the mayor's executive team, said: "I tell you, they have done an impressive amount of work."
Despite the fact that MGM is not the only group lobbying to win the bid to operate the Toronto Casino, it seems that its efforts are leaving the best impressions.
According to lobbyist records, Onex, another group in the run, sent its representative Kyle Rae to meet with a lone councillor at the beginning of February, while Caesars met another two days later. Additional efforts are being made by email and phone.
Influence of Canada Casino Lobbyists
Some councillors have expressed their surprise at the level of intensity felt by the MGM Toronto Casino lobbying efforts.
Toronto's deputy mayor, Doug Holyday, who has, in the past, pushed for a ban of casino lobbyists in City Hall, expressed his reservations about MGM's efforts.
"I've seen lobbyists affect decisions before," he is quoted as saying by The Globe and Mail. "I know how these things work. People try to be your friend and make it difficult for you to deny their requests."
