Ottawa city council could approve idea for 2 casinos

A motion will be presented to city council Wednesday asking the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation to create two zones for casinos in Ottawa instead of the one that exists now, according to one councillor.

The goal is to allow for another potential casino in the area while enabling the Rideau Carleton Raceway to keep its existing slots and promised 21 gaming tables in its own micro-zone.

"A motion will come forward and it's, I think, a compromise that any reasonable person on either side of this issue should be happy with," said Coun. Rick Chiarelli on Tuesday evening.

"I think everyone will find that it accomplishes what they need."

1 zone with 1 facilitycurrently allowed

As the rules stand, the OLG will allow only one casino facility in Zone E4, which encompasses the City of Ottawa and the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (the City of Clarence-Rockland).

Mayor Jim Watson has said residents want jobs at the Rideau Carleton Raceway to be protected.

But Ottawa Senators owner Eugene Melnyk has said he's beenactively working on plans for another casino in Kanata for years.He's said the financial future of the Ottawa Senators could be at stake if he doesn't find another revenue source, such as a casino.

The group that owns the Ottawa Senatorshas threatened to take the City of Ottawa to court over the current site-selection process.

Motion a compromise, councillor says

The motion to be put forward Wednesday, Chiarelli said, could address both concerns.

"The rest of the city would become a second zone, which could hold an open competition to determine if there would be a casino in it and if so, where it would be," he said.

"And then, both zoneswould have a competition to determine who the operator would be."

"This would comply with the OLG rules, and I think it meets the competitive aspirations of everybody who's interested in this, and importantly, protects the 1,000 jobs and importance of the Rideau Carleton [Raceway] within the City of Ottawa."

Chiarelli said that if the motion is passed, it will be referred back to the finance and economic development committee to allow for public consultations to be held in late August.