The long anticipated report on the Toronto Casino was released today, and it’s important to everyone in Southern Ontario!
I don’t know how it happened, but it seems Mayor Rob Ford and I are
personal friends, since he sends me a letter every couple of weeks!
Not too much family stuff in there, but certainly a lot about the job, and this week he made a pretty good case for the location of the proposed Casino in T.O.
Rob had this to say in his letter to me today!
Let’s face it folks, integrating the casino and convention centre
into Exhibition and Ontario Place makes a hell of a lot more sense than
sticking one somewhere around the five and dime in Mississauga!
We need something downtown, close to the entertainment district …………, otherwise people will have to continue driving to Orillia, or Niagara Falls, or Windsor, to see Vegas type shows!
(If it absolutely CAN’T go downtown then at least put it up at Downsview, since it’s the most accessible location of all!)
A report from the city manager of Toronto says that
if city council supports a new casino in the downtown core or at
Exhibition Place that there should be a greater emphasis placed on
convention space and less on gambling space than OLG’s initial
recommendation.
Since Toronto is the third largest city in the U.S. and Canada, but 33rd in convention business, they should build a huge convention centre along with a casino at exhibition place, and propel T.O. into the top ten!
Since Toronto is the third largest city in the U.S. and Canada, but 33rd in convention business, they should build a huge convention centre along with a casino at exhibition place, and propel T.O. into the top ten!
Not too much family stuff in there, but certainly a lot about the job, and this week he made a pretty good case for the location of the proposed Casino in T.O.
Rob had this to say in his letter to me today!
Allan
Over the last few months, there’s been a lot of talk about hosting a new casino in Toronto. I’ve always said I would support a casino if it would produce thousands of good quality jobs and generate millions of dollars for important City services. After reviewing all available information, consulting with my Council colleagues and members of the public, I am confident Toronto faces a golden opportunity.
Soon, Council will decide on how to proceed. I believe we should say yes to a new casino — on the condition that it will help Toronto move forward and achieve our goals. This opportunity shouldn’t be judged on emotional or partisan rhetoric, but on facts.
The fact is, too many people in Toronto are unemployed. For years, our city’s unemployment rate has been higher than the national average — and higher than neighbouring cities. That difference equals about 80,000 jobs. Last year, City Council adopted a new Economic Growth Strategy designed to stimulate job creation. Part of our plan to attract new employers to Toronto is to get more investors to visit our city. Conferences, conventions and exhibitions provide business travellers an opportunity to visit Toronto and see the opportunities here.
Toronto currently ranks 33rd in North America for convention business. Neither the Metro Toronto Convention Centre or the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place can attract top tier conferences. We need to change that. We should certainly be in the top 10 convention destinations.
I would like Toronto to work together with the province to create a new integrated convention and gaming complex that would boost our economic growth and create jobs.
The fact is, this is a huge opportunity for Toronto and for Ontario. The private sector is ready to invest $2-3 Billion or more in a Toronto project that will generate hundreds of millions of dollars on an ongoing basis for local and provincial government. For a project this size, Toronto should share equally in that revenue with the province. This would provide Toronto with up to $150 million in annual revenue. New property taxes and potential lease income would add to that.
Such a development would create 10,000 new permanent jobs at an average salary of about $55,000 and inject $1.2 Billion into Toronto (and Ontario’s) annual GDP. Construction would create an additional 7,000 to 11,000 temporary jobs. All of these jobs will pay provincial income tax.
A top tier convention and gaming complex will attract over 130,000 additional business visitors to Toronto and generate an additional $392 million of direct spending. That means more HST for the province.
This is a golden opportunity for Toronto and one we probably won’t see again for a generation. Rather than just imposing new taxes to fund transit expansion, the City could dedicate its $150 million share to building new rapid transit that our City needs, while keeping Toronto an affordable place to live.
The OLG has been clear: there will be a new casino in the GTA. If it’s not in Toronto, it will be right on our border. But, the fact is, building there won’t benefit the province as much. And, it won’t benefit Toronto at all.
Yours truly,
Rob Ford
Over the last few months, there’s been a lot of talk about hosting a new casino in Toronto. I’ve always said I would support a casino if it would produce thousands of good quality jobs and generate millions of dollars for important City services. After reviewing all available information, consulting with my Council colleagues and members of the public, I am confident Toronto faces a golden opportunity.
Soon, Council will decide on how to proceed. I believe we should say yes to a new casino — on the condition that it will help Toronto move forward and achieve our goals. This opportunity shouldn’t be judged on emotional or partisan rhetoric, but on facts.
The fact is, too many people in Toronto are unemployed. For years, our city’s unemployment rate has been higher than the national average — and higher than neighbouring cities. That difference equals about 80,000 jobs. Last year, City Council adopted a new Economic Growth Strategy designed to stimulate job creation. Part of our plan to attract new employers to Toronto is to get more investors to visit our city. Conferences, conventions and exhibitions provide business travellers an opportunity to visit Toronto and see the opportunities here.
Toronto currently ranks 33rd in North America for convention business. Neither the Metro Toronto Convention Centre or the Direct Energy Centre at Exhibition Place can attract top tier conferences. We need to change that. We should certainly be in the top 10 convention destinations.
I would like Toronto to work together with the province to create a new integrated convention and gaming complex that would boost our economic growth and create jobs.
The fact is, this is a huge opportunity for Toronto and for Ontario. The private sector is ready to invest $2-3 Billion or more in a Toronto project that will generate hundreds of millions of dollars on an ongoing basis for local and provincial government. For a project this size, Toronto should share equally in that revenue with the province. This would provide Toronto with up to $150 million in annual revenue. New property taxes and potential lease income would add to that.
Such a development would create 10,000 new permanent jobs at an average salary of about $55,000 and inject $1.2 Billion into Toronto (and Ontario’s) annual GDP. Construction would create an additional 7,000 to 11,000 temporary jobs. All of these jobs will pay provincial income tax.
A top tier convention and gaming complex will attract over 130,000 additional business visitors to Toronto and generate an additional $392 million of direct spending. That means more HST for the province.
This is a golden opportunity for Toronto and one we probably won’t see again for a generation. Rather than just imposing new taxes to fund transit expansion, the City could dedicate its $150 million share to building new rapid transit that our City needs, while keeping Toronto an affordable place to live.
The OLG has been clear: there will be a new casino in the GTA. If it’s not in Toronto, it will be right on our border. But, the fact is, building there won’t benefit the province as much. And, it won’t benefit Toronto at all.
Yours truly,
Rob Ford
We need something downtown, close to the entertainment district …………, otherwise people will have to continue driving to Orillia, or Niagara Falls, or Windsor, to see Vegas type shows!
(If it absolutely CAN’T go downtown then at least put it up at Downsview, since it’s the most accessible location of all!)
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