Wheel of fortune spins against Alberta Ukrainian Catholic church (03/01/98)

Wheel of fortune spins against Alberta Ukrainian Catholic church

by Christopher Guly

OTTAWA - The $85,000 ($61,000 U.S.) grant St. Stephen's Ukrainian Catholic Church received from the Alberta government last month would have helped pay the $1.8 million ($1.3 million U.S.) mortgage for the church's cultural center.

However, the parish council returned the grant when it was discovered it came from revenues the Alberta government receives from video-lottery terminals (VLTs). There are 5,800 VLTs scattered through the province - as many as 1,400 in Calgary alone.

In mid-January, Alberta's Catholic bishops (four Latin-rite and one Ukrainian Catholic) issued a letter to parishioners criticizing the provincial government for supporting this widely accessible form of gambling. VLTs are found not only in casinos, but also in bars. The bishops said the machines could lead to addictions and family breakdowns. When Conservative Premier Ralph Klein caught wind of the prelates' sentiments, he suggested that anyone who accepts gambling revenues as part of the government's community enhancement programs should examine their conscience.

"If you're vehemently opposed to gambling, then you also have to examine in your own mind whether you want to take the money," said Mr. Klein. St. Stephen's parish council did just that, says the church's pastor, the Rev. Randy Yackimec.

"We had to decide whether we were going to side with the premier or [stand] in solidarity with the Catholic bishops."

In a letter that came with the check to the church, Premier Klein gave the parish the option of returning it, on principle, if they were opposed to gambling.

While the Rev. Yackimec says his parish council had no problem returning the money when they learned of its origins, he says he doesn't have a problem with VLTs themselves.

"Let people decide," said the priest. "The government should consult with the people it represents. If VLTs are causing a problem, the government should put them only in casinos."

Last winter, three small Alberta communities held plebiscites in which residents voted in favor of removing the gambling machines from their towns. Similar votes may be held in the provincial capital city, Edmonton, and Calgary.

When asked whether he has used the machines, the Rev. Yackimec said, "That's not the issue." Then he added, "I've tried them." His position is in stark contrast to Calgary's incoming Latin-rite bishop, Frederick Henry, who will be installed in the diocese on March 9. Currently head of the Thunder Bay, Ontario, diocese, Bishop Henry considers VLTs the crack cocaine of gambling, preying on the young and the poor. He would like to see them vanish from the Alberta landscape. However, when it comes to generating revenue, VLTs have proved to be an odds-on favorite route to follow.

The slot-machine-like terminals will pump about $460 million ($329 million U.S.) into Alberta government coffers this fiscal year, according to Liberal Opposition Leader Grant Mitchell. Another $154 million ($110 million U.S.) comes from the sale of lottery tickets. From that, the province takes $123.3 million ($88 million) U.S. to be used for grants, including the $31 million ($22 million U.S.) Community Facility Enhancement Program to which St. Stephen's applied.

Though Bishop Henry has said the Ukrainian Catholic church's initial acceptance of VLT revenues was an isolated case, the Rev. Yackimec told The Weekly other Latin-rite and Ukrainian Catholic churches have received similar grants. He was not sure whether those parishes have returned their money.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian Catholic priest said his 400-family parish still has more than half of its mortgage left to pay and would likely apply for another grant - but not one funded by VLT revenues.