Owners say casino will stay in Gananoque
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GANANOQUE -- The new owners of the Thousand Islands casino have assured business leaders that the casino is here to stay.
"(The Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation has) given us 20 years plus an extension, so we plan on being here forever," said Rod Baker, CEO and president of Great Canadian Gaming, which owns the controlling interest in the casino at Gananoque.
Speaking to about 100 businesspeople and politicians at a Chamber of Commerce breakfast, Baker noted that Great Canadian had taken over the casino only a week earlier but "we're super, super excited to be part of the community."
Baker ,with five of his executives plus two officials from OLG, attended the breakfast to show the flag, introduce themselves and hobnob with the business leaders.
Tom Russell, executive director of the Thousand Islands Economic Development Corporation, noted that there was a "massive, collective sigh of relief" in the region when the OLG and Great Canadian decided to keep the casino here, instead of moving it to Kingston.
"From the bottom of my heart, our corporation's heart and the community's heart, thank you for making that decision," Russell said, to applause from the audience.
Local MP Gord Brown said the combination of the low dollar and low gasoline prices bode well for the success of the casino.
Brown said that the casino was located at Gananoque 14 years ago because of its proximity to the U.S. border crossing and the low dollar at the time.
"All the conditions that led to the location of the casino in 2002 are back," Brown said.
The annual mayors breakfast. sponsored by the Thousand Islands Gananoque Chamber of Commerce. is a chance for local politicians to look back over past accomplishments and ahead to the future.
Mayor Erika Demchuk said last year was busy in Gananoque and 2016 should be even busier.
Last year, council prepared a strategic plan to provide a roadmap for the future, approved the CaraCo condo project on South Street, rebuilt the Confederation Park pedestrian bridging, making it wheelchair accessible, and rebuilt the sewage pumping station. On economic development, the mayor said employment was up seven per cent and a small-business workshop in the fall was so well attended that people had to be turned away at the door.
In 2016, three of the biggest municipal projects will be the paving and widening of Bay Road to provide more parking for boat trailers, replacing the 500-series docks at the marina and installing new LED streetlights, Demchuk said. The town will also see the sprucing up of the Susan Push locomotive, and residents will participate in painting a mural for the Canada 150 celebrations.
The new apartment units at the former Ganroc Motel site will provide much-needed rental accommodation in the town, and the town plans to continue the summer concerts in Joel Stone Park, she said. As well, the town's economic development will development a business case to the construction of gas docks in Gananoque, she said. The idea is to woo private enterprise to invest in the gas docks.
Mayor Joe Baptista called 2015 the year of planning for his Township of Leeds and the Thousand Islands and said 2016 would be the "year of action."
As part of the 2015 planning process, the township developed a strategic plan that Baptista called one of the most publicly engaging projects in the its history. More than 500 residents answered an online questionnaire, which was an incredible response for a township Leeds and the Thousand Islands' size, he said.
The strategic plan found that the No.1 preoccupation of residents was sustainability for the environment, he said. Many people have chosen to live in the township because of its natural beauty, and they want council to protect it, the mayor said.
Second on the list was community development, particularly in the four main villages in the township. Third was sustainable economic development, Baptista said. Although the township tends to be a bedroom community, which many residents leave to work elsewhere, coming home at night, the mayor said people would like more options of working in the township.
Baptista said all of these concerns will form the township's priorities for actions in 2016.
MP Brown said one of his priorities for 2016 is an issue dear to the heart of some township residents: the Canadian Customs Dock in Rockport. He said he will work to see that the dock gets into the hands of the municipality "sooner rather than later," so it could become a public park.
The dock site offers a perfect spot where residents and tourists could sit and view the beauty of the river, he said.
wayne.lowrie@sunmedia.ca
