Islanders have been in the news lately, whether it was Commonwealth Games multimedalist Cynthia Meyer or part time resident Michael Ondaatje, or newcomer Wade Davis.
But Michael Henderson takes the cake for the most grandiose Islander to date. At least that's what some are calling his vision of a Las Vegas casino called "Moon":
Somewhere on his way to becoming a medical-business tycoon, Michael Henderson suddenly found himself sitting on the sidelines, exiled to his gated, ranch-style home on Bowen Island, some 30 kilometres west of downtown Vancouver. It was mid-2000, and for the previous—often stormy—20 months, Henderson had ruled Lasik Vision Corp., the fastest-growing laser vision surgery company in the world, with an iron fist. After a flurry of lawsuits, management infighting and a bitter proxy battle, however, the board turfed Henderson as president and CEO, effectively sending him off to “retire.” For the first time in his working life, Michael Henderson had time to think. A lot of time.
Two years of nonstop reflection can do funny things to a man’s head. Especially a self-made man like 40-year-old Henderson, who has been grasping for something better since dropping out of high school at age 16. Daydreaming amongst the roaming deer and thick evergreens that surround his fenced-in island retreat can even make a man think he’s capable of wondrous things. Like flying to the sun. Touching the stars. Selling the moon. And that’s precisely what Henderson now has in mind. No, not the real moon. His Moon. A hotel resort casino and entertainment complex so grandiose it’s boggled the minds of those who’ve worked on the project so far. A development so enormous that the model alone covers 96 square feet and took 4,000 man-hours to build—at a cost of well over several hundred thousand dollars. (more)
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