Vote Goes Against Vaughan Casino
The City Council voted on whether Vaughan should have a casino or not, and the results were a clear 7 - 2 vote against the Vaughan casino. The most recent push against having a casino come to Vaughan was led by the Deputy Mayor, Gino Rosati. Last week, the vote had been much closer, with a 5 - 4 decision to prevent a casino in Vaughan. The latest vote has confirmed the decision that was reached with the previous close vote.
Mayor and Deputy Mayor Disagree About Vaughan Casino
The last two people of the nine who were voting who supported opening a casino in Vaughan were Mayor Maurizio Bevilacqua, and Alan Shefman, a Thornhill Councillor.
When the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. included Vaughan on a list of potential casino locations, the municipalities that would be affected by this decision needed to pass a resolution showing their support for the casino. In May, the Vaughan council agreed to allow a casino complex to be built, with a 5 - 4 vote in support of this decision. When this vote was taken, Deputy Mayor Rosati was in support of bringing a casino to Vaughan. He more recently had a change of heart, and in this final vote, he chose to vote against the casino, as did Tony Carella and Michael Di Biase.
Those who changed their votes to vote against having a casino in Vaughan were Tony Carella, the Woodbridge West Councillor, and Michael Di Biase, the Regional Councillor. Both have long supported having a casino in Vaughan, and this change was a surprise to many.
When the ratification decision was made, Mayor Bevilacqua made a number of jabs at the deputy mayor for his changed decision regarding the casino. He said: "I'm not here to lecture people on how they behave because that's not what I do. I just think though, that, you know, in life we only have our word. Beyond that, we have nothing else." He made his point even clearer by saying: "When you make a commitment, you have to honour that commitment."
Vaughan May Get a Performing Arts Centre
There have been plans regarding a performing arts centre for Vaughan, and Ms Yeung Racco told the council: "Trust me when I say to you that I have a proponent ready, standing on the sideline waiting to build this? And we will have this theatre, one way or the other, but definitely not with a casino."
There are many who do not believe that a performing arts centre will attract enough customers without the help of a casino.
