In advance of Peterborough City Council's vote on whether or not to make the city a willing host municipality for a casino under the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.'s controversial gaming modernization plan, officials from neighbouring jurisdiction Cavan Monaghan Township, home of Kawartha Downs, have sounded off expansion being anywhere but the raceway.

A report by The Peterborough Examiner has quoted Councillor Jim Chaplin as saying he believes that erecting an urban casino in Peterborough is "ludicrous," adding that he doesn't believe the introduction of such an institution would help the downtown at all.

Chaplin was also quoted as saying, “If you use common sense, the current location would be much preferred over any of the four locations proposed by the City of Peterborough.”

The article has quoted the township's deputy mayor, Scott McFadden, as being highly critical of the Ontario Government statements that OLG modernization will create jobs.

Speaking first in regard to the local economy, and then in regard to the local horse racing industry, McFadden was quoted as saying that the OLG modernization is not going to create new jobs.

“It’s going to hurt the regional economy," McFadden said. "The suggestion that 600 jobs are suddenly going to appear, keep in mind that’s 350 jobs lost in another facility 10 minutes down the road. And it doesn’t even speak to the devastation that is currently occurring in harness racing. So any suggestion that this is great for the region is ludicrous. It’s completely the opposite.”

(With files from The Peterborough Examiner)