Callander mayor Hec Lavigne wants his municipality to share in the revenue of the new Cascades Casino being built on his town's doorstep.
And he's hoping North Bay council will work with his members to work out a deal that benefits both.
"I'm not against a casino, that's not the issue, it's an extremely busy corner and consideration should be given to working with us to ensure the flow of traffic is dealt with," Lavigne told BayToday. "And there's got to be money put into Pinewood Park Drive. The traffic on that road is extremely heavy now."
The town just spent $2 million repaving Callander Bay Drive, which will be the main southern route to the casino, this summer and is concerned what effect the additional traffic will do to the life of the road.
Lavigne has been a mayor of the town, off and on, for 18 years and says his position from day one has been that the casino should be a regional facility.
"The Council of the City of North Bay, by way of resolution, approved hosting the Casino in North Bay citing that if the casino went elsewhere in the region they would suffer all the negatives that a casino would bring to the area without the benefit of any share in revenues. They are building the casino in our backyard and guess what, we won't be receiving a dime. Of course, none of the other regional partners will either.
"At least share the revenues. There has been no discussion with us about local improvements or the effect on our community with this announcement."
The new council has not yet been sworn in and the Mayor is quick to point out this is his personal position but expects he get his council's backing.
He expects it is Callander that will have to reach out and start the negotiations.
"There are discussions that have to be taken and I'm more than prepared to do it. We have no issues with the City of North Bay, we work well together so certainly it will be part of discussions between the two communities."
If the Pinewood site is finalized, it will be more than twice as close to Callander's town centre as North Bay's.
"I'm working on the basis that this is a fait accompli and there are things we can work on without putting a cog into the wheels of progress. From an economic development perspective, I support Mayor Al and his city council's mandate to grow the city. That certainly applies to Callander as well."
Meanwhile East Ferris mayor-elect Pauline Rochefort says her municipality is pleased to learn of the potential $31.3 million investment, calling it a good central location for such a development as it is close to Callander and East Ferris.
She supports Lavigne.
"Earlier this year, the East Ferris Council reviewed Callander's letter to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation touching on the financial benefits of our region hosting a casino along with the potential pitfalls. The Council discussion centered on the positive impacts of such a development on the local economy, for the City of North Bay and its surrounding communities, as the casino will attract people to our area.
"Of significant concern was the potential for an increase in social services costs which could impact our taxpayers if the Municipality’s levy from the DNSSAB increases. It is in keeping with this discussion that the Municipality of East Ferris supports recent communiqués by the Town of Callander and Mayor Hector Lavigne, as Gateway Casino plans are subjected to OLG and necessary government approvals before being finalized."
