New Brunswick Accepting Casino Proposals; First Nations Miffed

The Lotteries Commission of New Brunswick is in the process of accepting Requests for Proposals for the first and only “destination casino” in the province.  Groups in both Saint John and Moncton are submitting proposals, but Chief Susan Levi-Peters of Elsipogtog First Nation is upset that an explicit partnership with First Nations was not detailed in the province’s Responsible Gaming Policy, released in November. 

While several First Nations communities have tax and gaming revenue sharing agreements with the New Brunswick government – approximately $7.5 million in gaming revenue was shared with eight First Nations communities in 2006-2007 – Levi-Peters is disappointed that there is not a First Nations partnership planned specifically for the new casino.   

"I tried to develop a partnership but they closed the door on us so now we're going to develop our own (casino)," said Levi-Peters.  She did not make it clear, however, if this means First Nations communities (most likely in partnership with each other) would submit a proposal to the Lotteries Commission or simply bypass that process altogether and strike out on their own. 

One might suspect that the development would be independent of the official provincial process, as earlier in 2007, Levi-Peters publicized a plan to build casino in Saint John and a “racino” near Moncton.  The profits would go to the fifteen First Nations communities in New Brunswick. 

While Finance Minister Victor Boudreau feels that it is up to the provincial government to decide who is allowed to build a casino, Levi-Peters begs to differ.  "The federal government cannot delegate any jurisdiction about Indians to anybody without consulting us," she said. "We have a right to self-government. When the federal government delegated the right for gaming to the province, it had nothing to do with First Nations people." 

Boudreau has pointed out, as mentioned above, that First Nations are included in the Responsible Gaming Policy and has expressed interest in speaking more with them about the possibility of their reserves receiving a higher revenue share from gaming.  At the same time, however, if First Nations want to build a casino, they need to submit a proposal to the government like anyone else. 

The two major publicly known proposals as of the end of November are from the Exhibition Association in Saint John and from the Toronto-based company Verdiroc Development Corp., in conjunction with Ashford Investments Ltd. of Moncton.   

The Saint John plan is for a $20 million racino which would include hockey rinks and indoor soccer fields. 

The Moncton plan would call for an all-encompassing downtown casino, convention centre, hotel, restaurant, and performance venue.  A separate plan for a casino outside of Moncton is being developed by a private investment group based in U.S.  

Proposals are due by March 11, 2008.  The winning proposal will be announced in May, and the new casino is expected to open by May 1, 2010.