There are several reasons why I am very much opposed to the casino Delta council gave third reading to earlier this month.
1. Crime -- Over the past year Attorney General David Eby has made many printed statements regarding the amount of crime attracted to casinos in B.C.:
- B.C. has become internationally famous for money laundering.
- Law enforcement in casinos has been a massive failure.
- There is a possible connection between money laundering and the out of control real estate market.
- Eby was “stunned” when viewing video with suitcases and hockey bags full of $20 bills.
- Vancouver casinos were known internationally as the “Vancouver Model” for money laundering.
River Rock Casino Resort is 18 to 20 minutes away from the Delta casino, so why do we need another casino? What happens if casinos accept totally untraceable Bitcoin?
2. Traffic -- The casino will have 124 hotel rooms, 700 employees and parking for 800 customers, all to be located at the south end of the George Massey Tunnel. At the public hearing, Jean-Jacques Arignon of Zodiac Hurricane Technologies, an internationally-known manufacturer of hard-bottomed inflatable boats, said the casino will make a bad traffic situation on River Road even worse so he is considering moving out of the Tilbury area along with 130 employees.
3. Policing -- I have no issue with the Delta police, however, the RCMP, which has been dealing with criminal activity at Lower Mainland casinos for several years, and even with all its resources and international connections, hasn’t been able to stop it. The Delta Police Department certainly doesn’t have the resources of the RCMP.
4. Local jobs -- The proponents indicate the casino will hire 700 people. Existing local business have lost employees to the malls at the Tsawwassen First Nation and can’t find replacements. The malls have staffing difficulties and bus employees in from other parts of the Lower Mainland. Who will fill the 700 positions? Not Deltans.
5. Entertainment -- The proponents indicate the casino will be a family entertainment facility. Since the casino has no theatre component, why would any family take their children there?
6. Impaired driving -- Alcohol is a major component of casinos. Impaired drivers would leave the casino and immediately drive into some of the heaviest and most dangerous traffic in the Lower Mainland.
As a result of the above, I have written to the attorney general and asked for his assistance to have a casino question included on the Oct. 20 civic election ballot in South Delta only.
The simple yes-or-no question would ask: Do you support the construction of a casino in South Delta? No one should be opposed to having a democratic vote on this serious issue as it will affect the whole of South Delta for perpetuity.
That would allow debate to stop and the democratic majority would decide.
Greg Hoover is a project manager in industrial and commercial construction who has lived with Christina in Tsawwassen for 25 years.
