First Nation Community Raises Concerns Over Canada’s Largest Casino Resort Opening

The Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, one of North America’s largest casino ventures, just celebrated its grand opening date of June 20, 2023. However, a First Nation community in Ontario has expressed concerns over the casino resort, claiming that it will endanger their indigenous community and tribal casino activities. The Ontario government’s decision to allow the resort’s construction has prompted a controversy about the potential consequences for the local indigenous people.

The First Nation community has expressed its displeasure with Prime Minister Doug Ford’s administration, accusing it of dealing a “unfair hand” in the launch of the casino resort. The 33-acre Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto, located near the crossroads of Highway 401 and Highway 427, has been merged into the existing Woodbine Racecourse, making it one of Canada’s largest private ventures.

The casino resort will be the largest of its kind in Canada, according to Chuck Keeling, vice president of Great Canadian Entertainment (GCE). The spacious gaming floor features 145 table games and 4,800 slot machines, as well as a variety of amenities such as ten restaurants. In the near future, the resort wants to construct a hotel and a performance facility to increase its appeal to guests.

The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation (MSIFN), who own the Great Blue Heron Casino north of Toronto, have expressed their dissatisfaction with the Ontario government’s breach of a 2016 agreement. Chief Kelly LaRocca claims that the expansion of casino resorts around the province, particularly the recent launch of the mega casino, jeopardizes Great Blue Heron Casino’s operations and, as a result, endangers the indigenous population that relies on casino revenue. These gigantic casinos, according to LaRocca, pose a “existential threat.”

Chief LaRocca emphasizes that the casino is the economic foundation and lifeblood of the First Nation’s people, allowing important services such as clean drinking water, enhanced healthcare, and education to be provided. The MSIFN and the Ontario government inked a casino revenue-sharing agreement in 2016, under which Great Canadian Entertainment and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. (OLG) manage the casino under the tribe’s ownership. However, the subsequent opening of three further casinos by GCE and OLG has resulted in charges of the government breaching the deal.

While Chief LaRocca believes the Ontario government has broken its commitment, Chuck Keeling, vice-president of GCE, disagrees. He asserts the company’s dedication to the property, emphasizing their substantial investment. The OLG also emphasizes its commitment to ongoing conversations about the development of the Great Canadian Casino Resort with its partners, including current indigenous host communities.

According to Chief LaRocca, the new casino’s opening creates an unfair and uneven playing field. She emphasizes that the agreement with the Ford administration included safeguarding the Great Blue Heron Casino and establishing a restricted region where no new gaming establishments could sprout up. According to her, the launch of the Pickering casino broke this pledge.

The Ministry of Finance of Ontario clarifies that there is no agreement in place to ban the establishment of new land-based casinos. However, the Province and MSIFN have a Revenue Sharing Agreement in place for the Great Blue Heron Casino. The Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation is now seeking talks with the Province of Ontario and is prepared to take legal action if a mutually agreed solution cannot be achieved.

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