Niagara Falls, Ontario Mayor Jim Diodati, Niagara Regional Chair Alan Caslin, Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates, Welland MPP Cindy Forster and Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Sam Oosterhoff recently held a press conference expressing concern that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation will move forward with its plans select a new operator for the Casino Niagara and Fallsview Casino Resort plus the future Niagara Falls Entertainment Centre. Diodati said a third-party study indicated the move could result in the loss of hundreds of jobs.
The officials questioned the process involving the request for proposal that had been sent to prequalified bidders. Diodati said, “I’m very disappointed. It further illustrates that our concerns are not being taken seriously.” Specifically, he said expanded gambling at Woodbine Raceway and a possible casino in Markham put Niagara operations at risk. “Everyone wants a piece of the casino action. They’re shifting jobs from Niagara to Toronto,” Diodati said. Caslin added, “Jobs and economic development are still the top priority. We don’t want to lose 1,400 jobs.”
Last year, Diodati and Caslin sent a joint letter to Finance Minister Charles Sousa asking him to terminate the RFP. They said the province’s goal of “maximizing provincial revenue” has taken precedence over job creation and economic development–the original objectives of Casino Niagara when it opened in 1996. “And now, they’ve flipped the model on its side and it’s about up-front money to the province–to heck with the jobs. Although OLG differs with our opinion of how many jobs will be lost, they don’t argue the fact that we will be losing jobs to the GTA, because this is essentially a re-distribution of jobs from Niagara to Toronto.”
Falls Management Group currently operates Casino Niagara and the Fallsview Casino for OLG. Last year, OLG notified the company it would not extend its contract past its current term ending July 10, 2019. OLG officials said the new service provider will be announced in summer 2018. Meanwhile, a press release stated “there will be no further communication by OLG” until a winner is announced.
Diodati said, “This is too important to ignore, it’s too important to dismiss as something in the future. It’s not that far in the future. They seem to be ignoring our pleas for, at the very least, protecting the jobs that we have now. We’re not going to stop fighting for these jobs at any point. This will become an election issue if it isn’t dealt with.”
