South Huron council renews support for a small casino near Grand Bend
A developer wants a casino of 6,000 to 12,000 square feet in the former Boat Store on Bluewater Highway.
South Huron council has reaffirmed its support for a possible casino near Grand Bend, after a developer approached the municipality with a new site for the project.
The proposal is for a small casino of between 6,000 and 12,000 square feet. It would go into the former Boat Store at 70589 Bluewater Highway, Sarnia News Today reported.
"It is a developer that has approached the Municipality and this is one of the first steps in that process," chief administrative officer Rebekah Msuya-Collison told council. She said the developer chose that size and is familiar with the building. Staff looked at other locations, but this was the site the developer felt it could work with.
Msuya-Collison said the resolution is meant to gauge whether there is interest in the community. She also said she had spoken with the CAO of neighbouring Lambton Shores, and that municipality was not opposed to the idea.
A long road to approval
Mayor George Finch reminded council that the vote is only a first step. He said nothing has been confirmed and no plans have yet been presented to the municipality.
Several approvals stand between the resolution and any casino. Community consultation and council approval are both needed before an application can even be filed. The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation must then approve the project, in a process that includes public input. A formal business case must also be approved by the provincial ministry. Council's support is one early step in what staff described as a lengthy process.
The idea is not new to South Huron. In 2019, council first declared its support for a gaming facility in the former Stephen Township area of the municipality. Council later endorsed a site next to the Dark Horse Winery and the Huron Country Playhouse, but that proposal never moved forward. The matter came back to council only because the new developer came forward with the Bluewater Highway site.