High prices call for high times.
That was the message from City of North Vancouver Coun. Craig Keating March 12 as he advocated using cannabis cash and gambling revenue to help pay for the new $210-million Harry Jerome rec centre project.
Council voted 4-3 to investigate the joint funding venture despite objections from Coun. Don Bell, who noted a “strong reaction” against gaming among city residents.
Gambling is always accompanied with a social cost, sometimes including a heftier bill for policing, Bell argued.
Municipalities including Delta, Richmond, Coquitlam and New Westminster have all profited from gambling and: “Apparently society has not broken down there,” Keating countered.
The city is planning to help pay for the new Harry Jerome rec centre by leasing land on the south side of 23rd Street to Darwin. The North Shore-based development and construction company plans to build an 840-unit development including two highrise towers, contributing about $40 million to the new rec centre.
Gaming and marijuana revenue could “help us out of this pickle,” Keating said, noting the shock neighbours will experience when confronted with the 23rd Street development.
Keating’s motion is premature, said Coun. Pam Bookham, suggesting other levels of government need to hash out details surrounding marijuana legalization before the city can examine potential cannabis revenue.
Coun. Linda Buchanan disagreed, noting work being done at provincial and municipal levels. While Buchanan backed Keating’s motion in terms of gathering information, she said she does not support gambling in the city.
Bookham touted putting the issue of gambling to voters on a referendum to coincide with October’s municipal elections.
Keating, who has opposed the scope of the new rec centre and in particular the 50-metre pool, responded by suggesting the Harry Jerome project be put up to referendum.
A referendum on Harry Jerome “probably won’t come back very well,” Mayor Darrell Mussatto said, suggesting referendums are often ineffective when dealing with important issues.
Mussatto and Coun. Rod Clark concurred on working with Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh nations in the event the city pursues gambling.
“It’s just a matter of time before I think one of the First Nations here gets into gaming and they will give us exactly zero revenue, and rightly so,” Mussatto said.
“I could only support gaming if it was to be shared with the two First Nations (Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh),” Clark said.
Despite previously supporting gambling in the city, Coun. Holly Back voted against Keating’s motion, explaining she would find his change of heart on gaming “quite surprising.”
Keating’s motion passed 4-3 with Couns. Back, Bookham, and Bell opposed.
Less successful was Coun. Rod Clark’s motion to compel the districts of North and West Vancouver to share the city’s loss of tax revenue associated with Lions Gate Hospital.
The city gets no tax revenue from two blocks of prime real estate occupied by LGH, Clark argued.
“Here’s a classic example where West Vancouver, which is one of the richest municipalities in the country, is getting a free ride . . . same thing applies to the District of North Vancouver,” Clark said. “I say: put the cat among the pigeons and see what he comes back with.”
While the city forgoes taxes for that land, Coun. Pam Bookham said she wouldn’t “inflict this job” of initiating negotiations with the two districts on city staff.
“I do not see any hope at all of ringing a cent out of either of the districts,” she said.
The motion is difficult to support, Mussatto said, noting the District of North Vancouver is “not super-happy they’re not going to get any tax revenue for the waterwater treatment plant.”
Calling on staff to initiate those negotiations would also take away from serious discussions around sharing operating costs of Harry Jerome, he said.
Bell and Buchanan also voted against the motion, with Bell noting the District of North Vancouver gets no benefit from the North Shore transfer station.
However, Clark noted the city supports a host of social service agencies including Hollyburn Family Services.
“The two districts aren’t paying their fair share there either,” he said.
Keating was the only councillor to support Clark.
“It would be interesting to see the reaction of the two districts as we go to talk to them about a 50-metre pool that they don’t want to fund; ‘But by the way can you also pay us for our hospital which is statutorily exempt from municipal taxes?’”
Clark’s motion was defeated 5-2.
