Blue Heron Casino against Tribal Deal. They claimed it breached the agreement by not reducing the number of Durham-based gaming facilities. (Photo by Adrian Trinkaus on Unsplash)
Operators of Great Blue Heron Casino, the Mississaugas of Scugog island have criticized Doug Ford (Canada Ontario’s Premier) regarding a new entertainment resort facility, Durham Casino Live which is set to launch its first phase in Pickering this fall and has opened its casino section this week.
Blue Heron’s operators near Port Perry claim that Doug Ford has breached an agreement to reduce the number of Durham region-based gaming facilities, stating that the closeness of the 2 casinos is a violation of the agreement terms signed with the First Nations band.
Statement from Chief Kelly LaRocca
Speaking on the matter, Chief Kelly LaRocca stated that:
The Casino resort in Pickering is another example of how Premier Ford is willing to breach signed agreements because of political gains. LaRocca continued that the government has re-drafted the gaming map in Ontario to suits its agenda.
Chief LaRocca also stated that in 2018, the province passed regulations giving the Durham Live project a go-ahead which represents a breach of the government’s agreement with the band not to allow new casinos to operate close to the Great Blue Heron Casino. She further added that the Pickering casino project was possible only because the Canadian province backed it with special regulatory orders.
Reports from Insuaga quoted Chief LaRocca imploring the Ford government to honor and respect the agreements it signed with the indigenous people. Earlier in the year, the Pickering mega-casino project was faced with lots of criticisms over its plan to build on a juicy wetland on the property. However, the order was later revoked by the Province due to intense pressure from environmental groups.
About Durham Live
One Toronto Gaming, and iGaming provider in Canada, developed Durham Live via a partnership of Brookfield Business Partners and Great Canadian Gambling Corporation. The new facility will be secured by a 5-star hotel and resort casino while it will also feature inviting and accommodating venues such as an office tower, an indoor water park, an amphitheatre, a convention center, a boutique hotel, several film studios, cinemas, restaurants and performance venues. It is expected that Durham Casino will create up to ten thousand jobs in Pickering and also contribute 600 million dollars in tax revenue. Asides from the controversy that seems to come with it, this is a notable development that seems to come with numerous benefits.
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