Toronto city councillors will be going ahead with a special meeting on Tuesday to vote on a proposed downtown casino, overruling Mayor Rob Ford’s decision last week to delay the debate until June 11.
The special meeting was put back on the agenda Sunday after a majority of councillors signed their names to a petition asking that the debate go ahead as planned.
Councillor Mike Layton, a vocal opponent of the casino, penned the letter. He told reporters at a press conference Friday that a “broad spectrum” of councillors wanted to see the discussion go ahead as planned.
"We deserve a right to debate the item," he told reporters. Layton dismissed the suggestion that the request for the meeting was political posturing, saying that it’s important to discuss the issue even if the outcome appears to be already decided.
Under city council rules, special meetings can be called within 48 hours notice as long as it has the support of at least 23 councillors. Layton said Friday afternoon that he had the backing of 23 councillors and the “numbers grow.”
Last week, Ford took a firm stance on the proposed casino, saying that without a guarantee of at least $100 million a year in revenue for the city, the deal is “dead.” He lashed out at Premier Kathleen Wynne for her failure to come up with a funding formula detailing what the city’s cut will be for hosting a casino.
Hours later, Finance Minister Charles Sousa confirmed that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. have given him a revised funding formula for cities that host gaming facilities. Under the new agreement, the city will get approximately $53.7 million a year.
That hosting revenue includes Toronto’s cut from a downtown casino, as well as the slots at the Woodbine Racetrack.
The letter requesting the special meeting was delivered to the city clerk’s office on Sunday. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Tuesday at 9:30 a.m.
