Special Report: Casino

General Issues Committee Considers Casino

Councillors will discuss the matter of a proposed downtown Hamilton casino, including a motion by Councillor Merulla to demand a referendum and delegations from several presenters.

By RTH Staff
Published February 06, 2013

this article has been updated

Thanks to the magic of communications technology and the tireless dedication of Joey Coleman, we can watch a livestream of today's General Issues Committee meeting, in which councillors consider the proposed downtown casino among other issues. The meeting starts at 9:30 AM.

According to the agenda for today's meeting, the GIC will receive the minutes of the December 13, 2012 Gaming Facility Proposal Subcommittee meting.

Councillors will consider a motion by Councillor Sam Merulla calling on the Province to "put a moratorium on the selection process of a casino" in order that the City can hold a binding referendum on a casino in the 2014 municipal election.

Councillors will hear a presentation from P. J. Mercanti, whose company has announced a bid for a downtown casino, on "the social and economic benefits of an enertainment destination". Other casino-related delegations include Graham Crawford on behalf of the NO Downtown Hamilton Casino organization, Christopher Cutler, and Robert Moscardini.

(Sidenote: in his delegation request [PDF], Mercanti has checked that he is not a lobbyist, despite appearing on behalf of a company that is bidding to operate an OLG-licenced casino in downtown Hamilton. Cutler, in contrast, has checked that he is a lobbyist, specifying that he is representing "Citizens of Hamilton".)

Other motions under discussion at today's meeting include a funding request from the Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion, the reconstruction of the James Mountain Road retaining wall, and a proposal for a public access online crime mapping service.

Update: updated to embed the livestream video.

5 Comments

View Comments: Nested | Flat

Read Comments

[ - ]

By twitterer (anonymous) | Posted February 06, 2013 at 13:35:57

Samantha Craggs ‏
@SamCraggsCBC
RockHammer's @NickBontis clarifies: "This is not our bid." It's incomplete & official bid would not be ready for a year.

Emma Reilly ‏
@EmmaatTheSpec
"When this is splashed out the media and it's not complete, it's a problem," says Chad Collins.

Ryan McGreal
@RyanMcGreal
Collins: We have a position and it's Flamborough. We're being asked to change that position.

Permalink | Context

[ - ]

By Why Is Account Needed? (anonymous) | Posted February 06, 2013 at 13:40:41

Why is a Livestream account needed to watch Joey's feed?
I've got enuf accounts.

Permalink | Context

By JoeyColeman (registered) - website | Posted February 06, 2013 at 13:43:36 in reply to Comment 85918

Right now, I do not have the revenue to afford a more expensive package than what I already have. It's a trade-off for ad-free.

Permalink | Context

By Why Is Account Needed? (anonymous) | Posted February 06, 2013 at 14:01:59 in reply to Comment 85919

Thanks Joey.
At least I can listen in without registering (and get more done on the side!).
Your awesome work providing this service is really appreciated!

Permalink | Context

[ - ]

By RenaissanceWatcher (registered) | Posted February 06, 2013 at 22:59:35

Here links to articles on local media websites tonight about the RockHammer Inc. casino presentation to Hamilton city council today:

“Councillors hear pitch from RockHammer” by Emma Reilly on the spec.com: http://www.thespec.com/news/local/articl...

“Casino bidders tell council they strongly prefer a downtown location” by Cory Ruf on CBC Hamilton: http://www.cbc.ca/hamilton/news/story/20...

“Mercanti calls casino project “once-in a life time”” by Kevin Werner of Hamilton Community News: http://www.hamiltonnews.com/news/mercant...

Permalink | Context

View Comments: Nested | Flat

Post a Comment

You must be logged in to comment.

Events Calendar

There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Blog Archives

Site Tools

Feeds