Wabigoon Lake applies for casino with OLG

Wabigoon Lake Ojibway Nation is looking to build a casino, conference centre and hotel in Dryden.
“It’s at the request for information stage,” said Wabigoon Lake Chief Ruben Cantin. “So it’s going to take a while, maybe even this fall and even later on until they formalize a decision on who’s going to get licenses and who isn’t.”
Cantin said the community first became interested in developing a casino project in the mid-2000s but put it on hold after a moratorium on casinos was put in place in 2005.
“In January (2012), when they lifted the moratorium, it gave us an opportunity to put our feasibility (study) forward and our application because it was done,” Cantin said. “We’re just in the process of updating it, because things change over a period of six years.”
Cantin said Dryden was a part of the original feasibility study completed in the mid-2000s.
“(Wabigoon Lake) community members were excited when we first did the feasibility study,” Cantin said.
The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation issued a request for information process for the expansion of private sector gaming on May 17.
“This is the start of a process to engage private-sector companies which have the expertise of operating world-class gaming facilities,” said Rod Phillips, president and CEO of OLG.
OLG also engaged an independent fairness monitor to ensure the overall procurement process is carried out fairly and transparently.
“OLG is continuing conversations with municipalities across the province to gauge interest in participating in our modernization initiative and we will focus only on communities which are interested in having a facility,” Phillips said.
The request for information process will determine the range of options available in the market and outline 29 potential gaming zones across the province where private-sector providers will operate a single gaming facility.
The OLG recommended reforms to Ontario’s gaming industry in a March 12 report to Ontario’s finance minister, including three key recommendations: become more customer-focused,expand regulated private sector delivery of lottery and gaming and renew OLG’s role in oversight of lottery and gaming.
OLG estimates the expansion will contribute an additional $1.3 billion annually to key public priorities, launch $3 billion in new private sector capital investment in the province and help create about 2,300 new jobs across Ontario and about 4,000 service sector jobs in the hospitality, hotel, restaurant, entertainment and retail sectors.
“Governments want the casinos to go into centres where there is a populated area,” Cantin said. “I think the idea is for municipalities to partner with First Nations, especially in industry (and) economic development ventures in forestry, mining and even casinos.”
Cantin said there will likely be opposition to the proposed casino project, but there will also be support from businesses.
“We’re trying to minimize the social impact through our application,” Cantin said.
Cantin said the proposed casino’s market would mainly be tourists to the region, not community members.
“We would like to promote tourism around here,” Cantin said. “Dryden and the surrounding area needs it right now.”