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Quebec towns resist mini-casino proposal15 January 2008MONTREAL, Quebec -- As reported by the Montreal Gazette: "Only two years ago, it seemed certain that a mammoth gambling complex would open by early 2008 in the Montreal region. The province had sold its weary old Hippodrome (Blue Bonnets) to a private investor, and Loto-Québec's plan was for the owner to close that facility and build a bigger, far glitzier version somewhere north of Montreal Island. The only question at the time was where. "More than ever, that's still the question. The plan is still not out of the starting gate. "For that, the project's promoters can curse an aroused public opinion. Suburbia is not the pushover the government had thought it was. Local mayors keep bringing up an awkward subject: values. "...The latest stick-in-the mud is Boisbriand Mayor Sylvie Saint-Jean. Twice she has rebuffed the investor, Senator Paul Massicotte, and his company, Attractions Hippiques Québec Inc. "...The city council of neighbouring Blainville has also rejected the project. And in Laval, residents have shot down three proposed sites with their petitions. "...Mirabel Mayor Hubert Meilleur said yesterday that the complex is welcome on a site just east of Highway 15. "But here's the hitch: Although Meilleur says the land is not agricultural, the Union des producteurs agricoles and others insist it is. And if it is, it would be awkward for Quebec to rezone the land for commercial use. "St. Eustache Mayor Claude Carignan is also hot for the project..." |