There has been a public outcry at the news that the OLG is planning on building a new casino on the former grounds of Ontario Place. Several citizens have requested that the government hold a referendum to decide on the issue; however, Ontario politicians have just announced that they will not fund a vote over whether or not the OLG should build a casino where Ontario Place used to be.
Politicians at the provincial level have also stated that it is mainly up to individual municipalities to hold referendums. Therefore, it is out of the hands of Premier Dalton McGuinty. Instead, it will be up to local politicians to decide if holding referendums will be beneficial.
Even Adam Vaughn (Ward 20 MP) does not support the idea of referendums. He is one of the new casino’s biggest critics, but he does not believe that holding a referendum would be in the city’s best interest. He believes that spending $7 million to take a vote on the issue just to hear what we already know is a waste of money.
However, Councillor Michael Thompson disagrees with both of these opinions. He believes that a referendum should be held before October 2012 – and that the provincial government should foot the bill. This is an unpopular opinion, however; and, it will be unlikely that McGuinty will side with Thompson.
