Kanata should get casino

Re: Province denies Watson’s two-casino bid, Aug. 26. Now that the Ontario Lottery Corp. has indicated that Ottawa will only have one casino, the City of Ottawa has some tough decisions to make. Mayor Jim Watson has indicated he is strongly in favour of the Rideau Carleton Raceway getting the casino, much to the ire of Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. While the mayor’s desire to preserve the jobs at RCR is laudable, he should think long and hard about Melnyk’s proposal.

The Senators employ a great number of people, and a casino located near the Canadian Tire Centre would result in a number of jobs, too. More importantly, the city needs to consider what it can do to help ensure the long-term viability of the Senators. Franchises in other NHL markets have received sweetheart deals on their arenas — something not afforded to the Ottawa Senators.

The city has gone to great lengths to help land a new Canadian Football League team by granting developers a wonderful deal to redevelop Lansdowne Park, and one that I support. However, it’s odd that the city would go to such lengths, given that the CFL has failed twice in Ottawa, and do next to nothing for the Senators. I think a great many citizens would agree that the benefits of an NHL team outweigh horse racing and CFL football.

If we are going to have a casino, I would rather it be in Kanata.

JODEY MICHAEL DEROUIN, Ottawa