Last month, Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) provided a first-quarter payment covering the period from April to June for non-tax gaming revenue of $758,383 to the Township of Cavan Monaghan for hosting Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs. Since November 1999, Cavan Monaghan has received more than $59.1 million in non-tax gaming revenue from this source.
These payments are made under an equitable formula in the Municipality Contribution Agreement that determines the funds municipalities receive for hosting a gaming facility and are based on a graduated scale of gaming revenue that is consistent across all sites in Ontario.
Construction of Peterborough’s new casino on Crawford Drive at The Parkway is nearing completion, with a grand opening expected in the next few weeks. After that, Peterborough becomes the recipient of these payments, projected at $3.2 million per year.
According to the operator’s website, in addition to hosting 500 slot machines, the new facility will have games tables offering Black jack, Roulette and Baccarat. Great Canadian Gaming hosted a job fair last May seeking to fill up to 150 full- and part-time new gaming and hospitality positions. These jobs are in addition to the 130 jobs at the current Kawartha Downs location which are guaranteed to transfer to new casino. The future of the food and beverage and security employees at that location is still uncertain as while they work at Kawartha Downs, they are employed by a different company. Those staff members were told to submit a resume and apply for jobs at the new facility.
The Crawford Drive site of the new casino will also be the location of a new, 100-room Hampton Inn and Suites hotel owned by Hilton, which is scheduled for a May 2019 opening, creating more jobs.
Good news, certainly, for Peterborough, but for Cavan Monaghan, the casino’s departure leaves a significant commercial facility in a challenging position. We need some inspiration to identify a new opportunity for this highly visible site so it doesn’t become another vacant and abandoned property like the former Millbrook Jail. KG
