Pitt Meadows, B.C., city council plans to send a letter to the British Columbia Lottery Corporation asking the gambling body to consider granting the community a casino.John Lehmann/The Globe and Mail
They said no to massage parlours, strip joints, nuclear power plants and used car lots, but the city councillors of Pitt Meadows, B.C., have no such qualms about bringing gambling to the Lower Mainland town.
City council will be sending a letter to the B.C. Lottery Corporation (BCLC) asking the gambling overseer to consider granting the town a casino. The letter is the first step in a development plan that could bring a casino, small hotel and convention centre to the town, which lies approximately 50 kilometres east of Vancouver.
"They are largely another form of entertainment," said Mayor Don MacLean. "They are largely not really you would term a sin bin."
And they don't make the list of bans the town's councillors have established by asking themselves one question: "If you were planning a town and you could say 'yea' or 'nay' to different uses, what would it be?" Mr. MacLean said.
Massage parlours, triple-X video shops, nuclear power plants, medicinal grow-ops and hydroponic retail outlets made the list of nays. Gambling did not.
Instead, Mr. MacLean said a casino, and the accompanying convention centre, could be a positive addition to the town, bringing jobs and tax dollars for much-desired infrastructure projects. He also said it would help draw visitors into the hotel and convention centre, which would be built on Lougheed Highway just east of Harris Road.
The proposal is still in the very preliminary stages and BCLC could reject the request.
BCLC manages commercial gaming in the province and currently has no plans to develop a casino in Pitt Meadows, according to a statement released by the company. For a casino to become a reality, the lotto company has to assess marketplace demand and determine the best location for a gambling hall.
Generally, BCLC comes up with the locations based on a business plan, but in the statement, the lotto company says local governments occasionally approach the company with a proposal to host a casino.
At present, there are 17 casinos and 15 community gaming centres operating in B.C.
Council approached BCLC eight years ago to determine the feasibility of a casino in town, but the lotto corporation said there wouldn't be enough visibility for the venue in the then-more-isolated town, according to Mr. MacLean. Now, the Golden Ears Bridge makes the trip to Pitt Meadows much easier.
Even if the town got BCLC on board, the proposal would have to make it through a public approval process. Still, Mr. MacLean said development will go forward on the land with or without a casino, which even he thinks may be a long shot.
The land is owned by shopping centre giant SmartCentres, which has expressed interest in developing a big-box plaza on the site.