An aerial view of the proposed Nipissing Raceway. The fate of a proposed racetrack and slots facility now rests in the hands of North Bay council and, to a degree, the Ontario government.
The fate of a proposed racetrack and slots facility now rests in the hands of North Bay council and, to a degree, the Ontario government.
Last night the city’s planning advisory committee unanimously approved—a recorded vote was called—a rezoning request from Nipissing Entertainment, which wants to build the track and gaming room on a 42-hectare piece of property it owns an Birch’s Road and Ferris Drive.
Interesting night But the approval only deals with land-use issues and not questions surrounding the moral or social aspects of gambling.
“The buck stops with council and that decision should not be made by the planning advisory committee,” said Coun. Dave Mendicino, also a member of the committee, following the meeting.
Council will like deal with issue at a committee meeting scheduled for Jan. 24, Mendicino said.
“It’s certainly going to be an interesting night and council will have a tough decision on their hands,” Mendicino said.
Theoretical and hypothetical While a slots room is part of Nipissing Entertainment’s plans, that component can only proceed if the province lifts a moratorium on gambling.
“If the city council decides to approve this application, this does not mean that there will be slots in North Bay,” said Nipissing vice-president Don Fudge.
“All it means is the city has said ‘we’re prepared to accept them.’”
Fudge hedged answering when asked if he would proceed with the track if the moratorium remains in place, calling it a “theoretical and hypothetical” question.
“Clearly there’s just too many variable to give a definitive answer to that,” Fudge said.
“For example, would they put a casino down the road somewhere? That would certainly have an impact.”
Everything we need At the same time Fudge said that, from what he’s heard, there’s a “buzz” growing in North Bay about the racetrack, despite objections from certain circles about slots.
“We don’t think they’re a large group and the sense I get is they’re in the minority,” Fudge said.
Everyone will be listened to, though, said Mendicino, who has advocated for a gaming facility since his days as president of the North Bay and District Chamber of Commerce.
“I certainly support this from the planning and highest and best use side, and for economic development since it has everything we need,” said, chairman of the Community Services Committee, the purview of which the racetrack/slots proposal falls under.
“As a council and a city this is what we look for. It’s got all this stuff, and from a social impact certainly my feelings have been know. I plan on supporting this.”
Social conscience While Community Services could vote Jan. 24 to move the matter to a council the following week, Mendicino said that’s unlikely to happen.
“I think it’s going to be incumbent on everyone to listen to all the information and take some time to digest it, so in all likelihood it will be referred back to committee and then we’ll go from there,” Mendicino said.
“All of us around table have a social conscience. That’s a given, and we’ve got to look at the whole picture and listen to all the information we get that night before we take the next step toward a decision.”
Live horses Fudge said Nipissing Entertainment has a “very public” approach, and he welcomes public input.
“When we did the social impact assessment we confirmed that there are already many many gambling opportunities available to the city of North Bay,” Fudge said.
“The only thing we’re proposing that’s different is that we will have live horses running around a track.”
