If last night’s council meeting was any indication, opposition to a potential casino in North Bay will be loud and visible. Council chambers were full of people vehemently opposed to a potential casino in the city, and multiple presentations were given to that effect. The first anti-casino presenter was Michael Ianino, a local business owner. He told Council that he met with 70 business owners in North Bay to get a sense of what kind of support a casino would receive. Ianino says nine thought it would be positive, 18 didn’t have enough information to make a decision and 43 felt it would have a negative impact on the community.

Another presenter, Reverend Jane Howe talked about churches already being stretched to the limit to help the disadvantaged, and added a casino would only make things worse. After she was finished, Councillor Mark King asked her how she will prepare for what seems to be inevitable. That drew jeers from the audience, and chants of “Stop it now”. Despite all of the presentations and the signs of disapproval, it may not matter.

Councillor Mark King says he had a discussion with some of the presenters before the meeting to kind of give them a heads up that that’s where he sees this going. King says he will vote against the casino, but believes it will have unanimous support around council. King added it’s good that these people come out and take the time to recognize what’s happening here. He says we live in a democracy, and he knows that he’s the odd fellow out on this particular issue and has been for a long period of time.

Because the previous council supported the casino, King believes the casino could move forward without even coming back the current council. He says the only hiccup in process would be selling city owner land to the proponent, which he doesn’t think would be much of an issue. King says he’s unsure where the casino process is at, because the province has announced a proponent, and we could hear at any time what their plans are in North Bay.