PG Mayor feels casinos should be given the same consideration to reopen as other sectors

It’s been over a year since Prince George gamblers were able to place any bets at the Treasure Cove Casino.

All gaming facilities in BC still have no signs of a re-opening date.

However, 12 local governments across the province including Quesnel and Williams Lake penned a letter asking the provincial government to re-open these facilities.

The Mayors of Kamloops, Campbell River, Mission, Terrace, New Westminster, Penticton, Langley, Fort St. John, and Burnaby, as well as the Chief of the Cowichan Tribes, have also signed the letter.

PG Mayor Lyn Hall admits while his council did not receive the letter, they would like to see casinos given the same consideration to re-open as other sectors.

“When you start to take a look at reopening various things it’s all under the umbrella of making sure the public and the employees are safe and the health restrictions under the current pandemic rules are followed.”

“As a community, city, and as a province, for me, it’s about the orders from Doctor Henry and Minister Dix. Those are important for us to follow and really what I am asking is will there be a consideration given to casinos and if there is a consideration given, I certainly understand and respect it would be under certain health guidelines and conditions.”

The closure of the Treasure Cove Casino, which occurred last March has had a major impact on workers and their families.

“At this point in time, the impact on employees is enormous. I think the site employs in excess of 125 and 150 workers and I think that casinos from what I am gathering are working diligently so that they can reopen safely,” added Hall.

Because of the casino closure, the city didn’t see between 2.2 and 2.6 million dollars in gaming revenue last year.

The provincial government confirmed to MyPGNow.com, casinos now fall under the prevue of  Finance Minister Selina Robinson – previously gaming facilities were overseen by Attorney General David Eby.

Here is a series of bulleted points from the Ministry of Finance on casinos:

• This is a difficult time for many sectors of the economy – everyone has been hit hard by this pandemic.
• We recognize that the closure of gambling facilities has had significant impacts on communities and the thousands of British Columbians who work in the gambling industry.
• Right now, we are all still focused on slowing the spread of COVID-19, and there is no firm date for casinos to reopen.
• The public health measures that closed businesses, including casinos, have helped reduce the spread of COVID-19, but the closures have had significant impacts on communities and the many British Columbians who work in the gambling industry.
• Recognizing the challenges facing local governments, our government stepped up quickly with $540 million in federal and provincial Safe Restart funding to help communities, big or small, to get through the pandemic.
• These grants delivered much-needed funding to all local governments at a time when they needed it most.
• Prince George received $6.1 million in a one-time cash transfer to help the city with facility reopening and operational costs and was also able to reduce their property tax increase for 2021 to zero percent using a portion of this funding.
• As we accelerate our timelines for our immunization plan there is light at the end of the tunnel, but we must not let our guard down. BC Lottery Corporation will continue to be guided by the advice of the Provincial Health Officer on when it is safe to reopen casinos.
• BCLC and the casino industry have submitted their safety plans, which have been reviewed by WorksafeBC and the Provincial Health Office so that casinos are ready to reopen as soon as the PHO indicates they are able to.
• We are also taking action to decrease unnecessary burdens on those who work in the industry when facilities are able to reopen. Specifically, the government has extended the registration terms of active gaming service providers, gaming workers, and lottery retailers to December 31, 2021.