The people of Rocky Mountain House were clear. They don’t want video lottery terminals in their town.
Of 3,600 eligible voters in the Alberta town, 1,035 voted to get rid of the machines and 565 voted to keep them.
Yet the future of 37 VLTs in the town, and others in the province, is far from settled.
“We have a growing concern over the bizarre twist this has taken,” said Philip Stel, the Rocky Mountain House pastor who led the charge from the local ministerial association to rid the community of VLTs.
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Since the vote, mayor Lou Soppit has said the town should study the economic effects of losing the machines, representatives from the hotel association said they’d sue if the machines were removed and MLAs have been noticeably quiet on the issue.
“I don’t know where we’re at,” said Stel.
“In the community there’s an overwhelming support for the decision, but I’m distressed by the comments from our mayor.”
Soppit said he’s looking at the plebiscite results from a total approach.
“We can remove them and I know some of the devastation that could take place, but I also have 1,000 people saying get rid of them.”
Town’s options
Council has three options, said Soppit.
It can consult with a lawyer, table the plebiscite or send it on to the provincial government.
“If our lawyer in the meantime gives us different advice we’d have to heed that.”
Not everyone in the community is pleased with the vote. Sharon Wayne, owner of the Mountview Hotel, is clear in her stand on the removal of 11 VLTs from her hotel.
“There’s no doubt about it. It’s going to hurt our business. You cannot remove a major entertainment … and expect to do well,” she said.
Since the vote, Wayne and her lawyer have lobbied town council and the Alberta Lotteries Association.
“We’ve asked them to talk to us. All we’re asking is to allow us to get our house in order,” she said.
When council meets, Stel worries those opposed to removing the machines will have swayed councillors’ minds and they won’t honor the results of the plebiscite.
“It doesn’t honor or respect the process of democracy.”
What does it mean?
Premier Ralph Klein said he would remove VLTs within seven days of a vote. But Stel said the government has not made it clear what the vote in the town means for them or other communities that want to hold a similar vote.
“We’re irritated that things aren’t clearly spelled out.” Stel said the vote has inspired other communities. He’s faxed several pages to almost two dozen communities on strategies to get rid of the machines.
“We never anticipated it would go beyond our community. This has been really encouraging to other communities.”
