According to multiple reports, it appears as though Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion has turned rather ambivalent regarding the possibility of casino expansion within the city's borders.
An article by the Toronto Star has revealed that Mississauga Council addressed the idea of casino expansion on Wednesday, June 13. According to the report, Mississauga's eastern waterfront has been indicated as a possible location, that being if the City of Toronto nixes the idea of a full-blown casino/retail complex.
While McCallion apparently fronted an ambiguous position and made awkward and contradictory statements on the issue, other councillors were rather point blank.
According to the Toronto Star report, McCallion said she would 'leave it to the public' when asked whether she would support a Mississauga casino. Although, strangely, the article also stated that McCallion is against a referendum on the topic. “On any issue we must go to the public," McCallion was quoted as saying. "If you’re in touch with your people you don’t need a referendum. I have not discussed it (the idea of casino expansion within Mississauga) with anybody.”
“I can’t imagine a worse idea than putting a casino on our waterfront,” Councillor Jim Tovey was quoted as saying by the Toronto Star. His views are also reportedly shared by Councillor Bonnie Crombie.
One thing that Mayor McCallion is reportedly sure about is that, realistically, Mississauga has no room for the kind of expansion the OLG is trumpeting.
"I clearly indicated to (OLG Chair Paul Godfrey) that I knew of no land that would fulfill their requirements," McCallion has been quoted as saying in an article by The Mississauga News.
(With files from the Toronto Star and The Mississauga News)