Election platform included ‘gaming house’

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This article was published 22/05/2019 (2427 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A gaming centre appears to have been part of early plans for a new urban reserve on the north end of Brandon, despite the Gambler First Nation chief saying that it never was.

Campaign material distributed before an August 2018 election that Chief David LeDoux’s brother Gordon — a custom-elected chief for Gambler — sent to The Sun show a drawing of a “gaming house,” below a line that says “re-elect David LeDoux for chief!”

“He had told the membership that’s what he was putting up there, he was going to make millions of dollars,” Gordon said. “This was part of his platform for running for chief again.”

A spokesperson from the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba said they’ve been in contact with Gambler First Nation since 2018 about a potential VLT site.

Despite that, and an early rendering that shows a gaming centre as part of the new urban reserve, Chief LeDoux said that it was never on the table — a sentiment echoed by the city.

An early site rendering that includes a gaming centre was sent to media on Friday by mistake, city economic development director Sandy Trudel said on Saturday.

The plan shows a gas bar and gaming centre close to 18th Street. Further back on the lot is a hotel tower and multiple retail and office spaces.

A rendering circulated at Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony was slightly different and did not include the gaming centre.

“There was never ever discussion of a casino,” LeDoux said on Tuesday. “We don’t want a casino, Brandon doesn’t want a casino. … I’ll say it again, we don’t want a casino.”

The plan that shows a gaming centre on it attached to the hotel is an “old rendering,” he said. When asked how old the rendering was, the chief declined to comment, saying “it’s not an issue.”

When pressed later on in the day for clarity on his use of the terms “casino” and “gaming centre,” LeDoux deferred additional comment to a letter to the editor he intends on sending to The Sun today.

Brandon Mayor Rick Chrest also said that a gaming centre was never part of discussions.

“I don’t know why this rendering with the gaming centre label on it was ever part of the equation,” Chrest said. “It was apparently an old version that was the one that got sent, now it’s created quite a confusion and it ought not to have.”

The First Nation may have been in contact with the province about VLTs to put into the hotel, he said, which they’re anticipating there could be, but not a casino.

“They told us from the first meeting we had just to clear the air, ‘We are not looking for a casino or planning for a casino,’” Chrest said.

The spokesperson with the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba said their most recent correspondence with the First Nation was in January about a potential VLT site.

“We’re aware (that) they’re interested,” the spokesperson said.

A VLT site is defined as a space with VLTs as well as charitable gaming, according to the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Authority of Manitoba. The difference between a VLT site and a casino defined by the authority is that a casino also offers table games.

However, until the First Nation has an existing location on designated reserve land, and has successfully applied to Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Corporation for VLTs, the LGCA can not consider an application, an emailed statement from the authority said.

First Nations in the province are eligible to receive up to 70 VLTs, based on a per site business case.

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