Peterborough officials in May approved a zoning change for the proposed Shorelines Casino, but several local groups filed formal challenges to stop it.
Great Canadian Gaming wants to build the Shorelines Casino Peterborough on a parcel located on at The Parkway and Crawford Drive.
City officials rezoned the parcel to enable casino development, but three separate groups filed appeals with the Ontario Municipal Board (OMB).
Two group challenging the decision are the citizen’s group No Casino Peterborough and the Downtown Business Improvement Area Association.
A third challenger remains unidentified.
No Casino Peterborough spokesperson Sheila Nabigon-Howlett says the casino would be bad for the local community, and group members say it would cause environmental harm to a nearby local park and make gambling addiction a problem in the local community.
“Significant land use and environmental reasons – as well as economic and social issues – show that a large casino will have a negative impact on the city,” No Casino Peterborough said in a statement.
The downtown business association largely bases its opposition to the proposed casino’s location away from Peterborough’s downtown area.
The association says the casino would be built on the edge of the city limits, likely would result in related entertainment-focused developments, and wind up competing with existing downtown businesses.
The association instead wants the proposed casino built in or nearer downtown, where it would boost economic activity there, instead of competing with downtown merchants.
Great Canadian Gaming, however, says it only wants to build on the Crawford Drive site.
Ontario residents have the right to challenge local zoning changes with the OMB, and the three groups filed their respective appeals ahead of a stated deadline.
