Wasaga unhappy Collingwood is back in casino game

By Morgan Ian Adams, Enterprise-Bulletin March 7, 2013 

Wasaga Beach’s mayor says he’s disappointed Collingwood has decided to take another chance on gambling.

On Monday morning, during an appearance on 97.7 The Beach, Cal Patterson told host Mariane MacLeod that his council was “looking at Collingwood and saying, ‘what the heck is going on here’,” in response to Collingwood town council’s decision Monday to revisit the idea of the community playing host to a casino.

“Some of my councillors are very upset about it,” said Patterson.

In an interview with the E-B later in the week, Patterson acknowledged a couple of his councillors are also unhappy with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

“I think it’s mostly disappointment with the (lack of) communication,” said Patterson, noting he didn’t necessarily share the sentiment, and has frequently spoken with OLG representatives. “But we went through this process and followed the timelines, and got the support of the community, and we’ve selected four sites.”

The municipality conducted a survey last fall, receiving more than 1,500 responses — two-thirds of respondents were in favour of the town hosting a 300-slot gambling facility.

Patterson also noted he wasn’t about to put his nose in the business of other municipalities, but he did point out that Wasaga Beach was perhaps a more suitable location for a gaming facility.

“Three-hundred slots would be a good fit for Wasaga Beach, and we are looking at adding other amenities,” said Patterson, noting those ‘extras’ could include a theatre or similar-type entertainment venue. “Our major industry is tourism, and this would be a 12-month tourism opportunity, and one we will continue to pursue.

“If OLG wants to allow something larger, they just need to go down the road to Blue Mountain where they have the infrastructure… (but) OLG has also been adamant that it’s 300 slots, and that’s it.”

In his radio interview, Patterson said OLG was using Wasaga Beach as a template for other municipalities to follow.

“We did it exactly the way they (OLG) thought it should be done,” said Patterson. “We followed the rules and did everything OLG asked us to do, and hopefully it will be in Wasaga Beach.”