Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion has always had a unique approach to running her city, and things will be no different when it comes to deciding whether or not a casino should be built in Mississauga. It Toronto does not turn out to be the host city for the new casino, McCallion is eyeing the opportunity – but she does not believe a referendum will be required.
In Toronto, most MPs believe that a referendum is the only fair way to proceed when it comes to the issue of whether or not a casino should be built in the city. They feel so strongly about the issue that a legislation has been drafted, requiring issues related to building new casinos to be voted on by the public. The bill has become quite popular among politicians, who are pushing it through the legislation process.
Hazel McCallion feels differently, apparently. She has stated that she will leave it up to the public to decide but does not want to hold a referendum on the issue.
“If you’re in touch with your people you don’t need a referendum,” she says.
While it may not seem like the best course of action, McCallion has rarely ever steered her city wrong. In her 33 years of running the city of Mississauga, she has made the city into one of the best places to live in Ontario and the whole of Canada. So, if she does decide on a way forward for the new casino, it will likely be in the best interest of the residents of the city.
She has been approached about the idea by Paul Godfrey. From her meeting with the OLG Chairman, she has gathered that the new gambling venue will be more than a simple casino; “ it’s a major, major entertainment complex to be operated privately”.
As such, it seems that she is on board with the idea of building a casino in Mississauga. However, she will have to wait and see whether or not Toronto scoops up the opportunity first. While Ontario Place has been ruled out as a potential location, there are still plenty of other options in the Toronto City Centre that take precedence over other locations in the GTA.
