New liquor board tasked with unfreezing gaming expansion

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This article was published 13/12/2023 (1016 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A new Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries board was appointed on Tuesday, with the new group given a mandate to end the pause on gaming expansion in the province.

Among the new appointees to the board is Doug Ramsey, a professor with Brandon University’s Rural Development Institute.

The letter to the board from Brandon East NDP MLA and Minister Responsible for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries Glen Simard asks it to “work collaboratively with stakeholders to lift the pause on gaming expansion in a targeted fashion to include supporting economic reconciliation and local economic development while maintaining MBLL’s commitment to supporting the communities they serve.”

Speaking to the Sun by phone on Tuesday, Simard emphasized the importance of this work being done collaboratively between the new board and stakeholders.

Simard said the new board is being tasked with carrying out the expansion in a responsible way that strengthens Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries’ position for the future.

Where gaming will be expanding as well as what form that expansion will take has yet to be determined.

The minister wouldn’t say directly whether the pause being lifted was at the request of Indigenous groups.

“We get a number of requests for looking at these types of things and that’s why we’re going to work collaboratively with all stakeholders, not necessarily one over the other, and I think that’s an important distinction to be made here,” he said.

In 2018, former premier Brian Pallister’s government announced in a throne speech that “further expansion of gaming will be paused pending a review of our gaming strategy.”

“I personally am not a big fan of gambling and I know it has hurt people,” Pallister was quoted as saying at the time by The Canadian Press.

“It’s important to understand (that) although it obviously generates revenue for the coffers of government on the one hand, there are real social costs on the other side. So having a look at that and having a look at where and how we do our gambling in Manitoba is important.”

Simard said his government wouldn’t be taking any lessons from the Pallister government on how to treat workers and public corporations.

“We believe that our public corporation has a mandate to invest and support and educate communities,” he said. “And that’s something that we’re looking forward to, making sure that they continue to support economic and social well-being in this province.”

He affirmed his government’s interest in keeping MBLL publicly owned.

The mandate letter also asks the new board to “responsibly expand public liquor retail stores, including Liquor Mart Express outlets,” as well as ensure staffing levels are up to requirements, encourage an environment that fosters liquor production and job creation, review the province’s approach to online gaming, modernize the corporation’s technology, “restore respect for workers,” and to advance the corporation’s mandate.

The other new board members include United Food and Commercial Workers Local 832 president Jeff Traeger as chairperson, Dreamcatcher Promotions founder Michelle Cameron, Interlake mental health counsellor and former NDP candidate Sarah Pinsent-Bardarson, former MBLL board chair Tannis Mindell, Centre for Advancement of Teaching and Learning trainer Josiane Kroll and Ducks Unlimited Canada board of directors treasurer Sara Penner.

Ventura Land Company vice-president Tim Comack returns to the board as vice-chair while IG Wealth Management head of financial planning Christine Van Cauwenberghe returns as a board member.

Commenting on the appointments, Simard said his government was looking at balancing regional representation with cross-sector experience.

» cslark@brandonsun.com

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