FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Leeds 1000 Islands and Gananoque seek to address concerns raised by Auditor General’s Report and lack of transparency in Casino Modernization Plan The municipalities will continue to work collaboratively together to show potential bidders that the Leeds 1000 Islands Casino should remain in its current location Lansdowne, May 2, 2014 – A meeting of the Joint Casino Retention Committee, held today at 11 a.m., resulted in agreement to proceed with proactive measures to show continued support for retaining the 1000 Islands Casino. This meeting was held to consider information identified in the Auditor General’s special report Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporations Modernization Plan which was just release. In addition to the release of the Auditor General’s report, a media release from the Ontario Lottery Gaming Commission (OLG) has indicated that a request for proposals (RFP) has been sought for this region, but contains little other detail. The Ontario Auditor General’s special report Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporations Modernization Plan shows that the OLG appears to have favoured the relocation of the 1000 Islands Casino into the City of Kingston all along. In addition to this, the Auditor’s report shows the Modernization Plan planning process was “not transparent” and that the “OLG did not sufficiently consult with all affected stakeholders before release of the Plan”. The 1000 Islands Casino is the second highest performing casino owned by OLG and it is the sixth largest employer in Leeds and Grenville. It represents a significant portion of the job market of Gananoque and Leeds and the 1000 Islands. Leeds and the 1000 Islands Mayor Frank Kinsella notes “The Auditor Generals report shows that investing into this successful location did not appear to be an option OLG seriously considered for increasing revenues.” The report also identified flaws in the revenue estimates including that net job losses are now being expected. “The impact of an estimated 1000 lost jobs to rural Ontario has not been assessed.” As an immediate step, the group will be filing a Freedom of Information request with the OLG requesting confirmation of the closing date for the RFP and requesting confirmation whether any additional weighting factors were provided to proponents wishing to relocate. “We are seeking answers from the OLG that we have not been able to receive” states Mayor Kinsella. “This information does not in any way compromise the integrity of the RFP process and will assist us in our planning process.” The Township will urgently forge ahead with completion of amending its planning documents to expand the number of uses allowed on the casino site as well as increase of allowable building height and square footage at this location. “We wish to share our plans with all the potential proponents to ensure we can meet the needs of their business plan.” said Mayor Kinsella. Town of Gananoque Mayor Erika Demchuk states” The Town of Gananoque will do all it can in terms of servicing and support to retain this facility, its important for all our businesses as well as our residents and the tourism industry that this facility remain where it is.” “We encourage all members of Leeds and Grenville to hold our government responsible for looking after the best interests of this constituency” states Mayor Erika Demchuk. “Our arguments for retaining the 1000 Islands Casino are based on facts and positive business case reasons which OLG has refused to consider.” The two casino host communities, Leeds and the Thousand Islands and Gananoque, will continue to be diligent in their efforts to retain the casino. For more information, please contact: Milena Avramovic, Chief Administrative Officer Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands 613-659-2415 Ext. 213 [email protected] Bob Small Chief Administrative Officer Town of Gananoque 613-382-2149 Ext. 1113 [email protected]
Posted on: Fri, 02 May 2014 22:02:57 +0000
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