There are a variety of government locations that are considering allowing for a new casino to be built within their city limits, and one of those cities is Delta. For this reason, many have begun to question the importance for the city to address health concerns that regard gambling so that the people can be aware of the types of issues that can develop from addictive gambling issues.
A letter was sent off to the mayor by the Fraser Health Authority to bring her attention to the problem that might arise from a new casino and to have health officials put resources towards preventing gambling addictions with citizens. The letter outlines some concerns that the group has as the city considers building a brand new casino that would be placed south of the Massey Tunnel.
The group was sure to outline the B.C. Public Health Act. This is an act that was put in place to require local governments to inform their citizens about health concerns that might affect people in their areas. This puts the job of health promotion and prevention on the health officials that work for the city, which is required to allocate resources towards helping these types of causes.
However, Delta’s mayor doesn’t agree. She insists that the time of health officers in the city would be better spent on other health issues that may arise in the communities.
One issue that the mayor was sure to point out was the amount of salt that is found in many foods. Her concerns seem to prioritize around food consumption and other areas of health rather than addictive tendencies.
Some are arguing that addiction is a very serious issue that needs to be addressed if the city is going to move forward with the construction of a new casino. Many cities will implement programs to help those that become addicted, and will take preventative action in order to keep things from getting that far.
One of the doctors that was part of the letter was Dr. Arlene King, who came out to argue his support of the Fraser Health Authority’s concern to gambling addiction. He stated that he knows that it is going to have some sort of impact on the citizens in the area and that the city needs to be proactive in its steps in preventing the development of health issues such as these.
Mayor Jackson did announce that the city does have plans to follow through with the process laid out by the B.C. Lottery Commission so that they can put forth an expression of interest, which will put them on the map for a possible new casino if the commission decides to approve of it.
