After receiving a letter from a group called Northwestern Slots for Charity, town council was prompted Monday night to further discuss the possibility of video lottery terminals (VLTs) in Fort Frances.
Clerk Glenn Treftlin immediately noted to council that it may not want to even bother discussing the gambling machines as the question of whether VLTs should be allowed in Fort Frances appeared on a ballot a few municipal elections ago and was “soundly defeated” then.
While no councillor clearly showed support for having VLTs here, the item on the agenda did spark some discussion Monday night.
Mayor Dan Onichuk said he’d been talking with International Falls Mayor Harry Swendsen, who had asked him what he thought about seeing a casino open in International Falls.
Mayor Onichuk said he told Mayor Swendsen he thought it would be an economic boon to the Falls, arguing it would be much better than the current situation in which local residents go elsewhere to gamble and sometimes even stay overnight—spending their dollars outside Borderland.
“I’ve certainly thrown my support behind it for International Falls,” Mayor Onichuk remarked. “But here, we should refer it the Administration and Finance executive committee.
But the mayor also said the town should gather information from small communities in Minnesota and Manitoba to see the impact of introducing VLTs elsewhere.
Coun. Rick Wiedenhoeft noted the letter, written by Northwestern Slots for Charity off-site VLT co-ordinator Tony Silvestri, states: “We are spending thousands in gambling addiction today with no return. The U.S. casino makes the profit and we take the debt.”
“What a sales pitch,” Coun. Wiedenhoeft said sarcastically. “I don’t think we need any more VLTs. If they’re causing addictions, why add to the problem?”
Coun. Struchan Gilson, noted the issue shouldn’t just be referred to the Administration and Finance executive committee, but to all the executive committees, so they could discuss all aspects of potentially seeing VLTs here.
“This is a moral issue. This is not about money, it’s about lifestyles,” he remarked.
Coun. Roy Avis said he had no problem discussing the issue at a committee level, but that the town only should do so after it has gathered statistics and resources on VLTs and gambling, particularly as they apply to addiction.
Coun. Tannis Drysdale said the town also should find out what the actual revenue generations of VLTs are, and whether they are worth it.
She noted the casino is Thunder Bay, for instance, takes more money from the community than it puts into it because even the portion of gambling revenues that go to charity go to southern Ontario and are redistributed in a manner where the northwest does not necessarily get its fair share.
The letter from the Northwestern Slots for Charity group is a survey to see if municipalities in the region, including Fort Frances, want to make a joint-application to the Ontario Lottery Commission to get off-site VLTs here.
(Off-site meaning not in a casino, but hotels, bars, golf clubs, and VLT parlours, to name a few examples).
In the letter, Silvestri noted if Northwestern Ontario gets VLTs, it will benefit in millions of additional revenue.
Cities and towns can keep the taxes down and keep all required services fully operational without cutbacks, he added, noting VLTs site-holders also will create jobs for the region.
A portion of the monies generated from the VLTs will go to the municipalities while another portion will go to charities.
Silvestri said VLTs create $154 million in revenue in Manitoba each year.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
