A deal inked sometime in 2013 between Paragon Gaming and the British Columbia government for a half-billion-dollar casino adjacent to B.C. Place has left many with the Opposition to question exactly when the contract was signed. In addition to the date in question, many are wondering if due diligence was used in the project’s tendering process.
Opposition critic David Eby unearthed a document which shows the agreement came into effect on March 15, 2013. However, Peter Fassbender, the current Minister of Education, spoke to the media on May 3, 2013, and stated that a deal had yet to be made.
Eby spoke with The Province, and said, “I’ve got a contract that the effective date is March 15, I’ve got a Paragon website that says the contract was signed in March, and then I have Mr. Fassbender saying there was no contract in May, a month later.”
One major issue at hand, is that the Opposition suggested the contract was awarded to Paragon due to ties between one of the company’s former directors, Richard T. Turner and the B.C. Liberal Party. In May, 2009, Turner donated $50,000 to the party, just a month and a half after the government acknowledged its request for the development.
Transportation Minister Todd Stone has fielded many hardball questions regarding the project, and has chosen to dodge the claims, while reiterating the project will add to the “economic viability of B.C. Place.”
“Previously when I was asked this same line of questions here in the House, I indicated that I had confidence in the fact that the officials at PavCo, including the board, but also the management… that they did their due diligence on this agreement,” said Stone. “I stand by those comments that I made back then. I believe they did their due diligence.”
