First Nations wager on southwest casino

Backers of a new $40-million native-run casino to be built near Spruce Woods Provincial Park say it'll show a winning hand for everyone when it's up and running in about a year.

The Spirit Sands Casino will be built off Highway 5 about 16 kilometres south of the Trans-Canada Highway between Carberry and Glenboro and will be run by Swan Lake First Nation. Construction could begin this fall. It'll be the third native casino in Manitoba.

"This is going to provide a lot of benefits to the whole area," Swan Lake First Nation Chief Francine Meeches said.

Meeches said the business plan for the casino calls for 300 slot machines, five gaming tables, three restaurants and, in time, a full-service hotel. Profits from the casino will be shared with the 63 other First Nations in Manitoba -- a conservative estimate is they'll see $60,000 per year initially and more as the casino expands.

Future plans call for a 75-room hotel, a gas bar, a gift shop, and a winter resort that caters to snowmobilers and cross-country skiers alike.

"We're trying to accommodate everyone in some sense," Meeches said.

Meeches also said between 200 and 300 jobs will be created for aboriginal people and others living in the area. Preliminary estimates suggest the region can support a small casino with annual revenues of about $30 million.

The province approved the casino last spring, which gave the green light for Swan Lake First Nation and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs to put together a business plan for the project.

An earlier proposal to build a casino just north of Brandon fell through last year when the bid's proponents -- the Keeseekoowenin, Rolling River and Waywayseecappo First Nations -- wouldn't agree to share profits equally with all other Manitoba First Nations. Although Brandon would be the more lucrative spot, residents there have rejected the idea in two separate plebiscites since 2002.

Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs Grand Chief Ron Evans said that loss is Swan Lake's gain.

"They know the benefits are in the spinoffs," Evans said. "The others have a right to show their disappointment, but we had to move forward with what the majority wanted."

He added the next step is to raise the money needed to start construction, something he said won't be an issue.

Benefits from the casino will extend outside of Swan Lake First Nation, area municipal leaders said.

Carberry Mayor Wayne Blair says jobs will also be filled by local people as the casino expands.

Blair and Glenboro Mayor Bill Shackel added the casino and proposed hotel will help attract more people to live in the area and bring in more events such as overnight hockey tournaments.

"Any time you get a new house in the community, it's a benefit," Shackel said.

Lotteries Minister Dave Chomiak said the casino, as intended by the government, will benefit all First Nations.

"It's been an arduous task to get to this point," Chomiak said. "If something is worth doing, it's worth doing right. This has been done right."

Spirit Sands Casino would be the third First Nations casino in the province. The others are the South Beach Casino and Resort south of Grand Beach and the Aseneskak Casino near The Pas.

bruce.owen@freepress.mb.ca

How to build a casino

October 2002 -- Brandon residents reject a casino within city limits in a plebiscite during the civic election. A second city plebiscite in 2008 yields the same result.

October 2003 -- A committee made up of officials from the province and the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs (AMC) recommends future native casinos be owned and operated for the benefit of all Manitoba First Nations.

August 2007 -- A study identifies southwestern Manitoba as having the market conditions to support a small casino with annual revenues of about $23 million.

September 2008 -- Four proposals are submitted to a site-selection committee for a southwestern casino.

October 2008 -- The committee chooses a site in the RM of Elton immediately north of the Trans-Canada Highway and the Brandon city limits. The location is sponsored by three First Nations: Keeseekoowenin, Rolling River and Waywayseecappo.

November 2008 to April 2009 -- The AMC and the three First Nations fail to reach a satisfactory working agreement. The key sticking point is revenue sharing. The three First Nations say they are willing to share up to two-thirds of all revenues with other Manitoba First Nations, but the province and the AMC continue to insist that all First Nations be equal owners.

May 2009 -- The province and the AMC announce they have signed a memorandum of understanding with Swan Lake First Nation to develop a casino on reserve land along Hwy. 5, 16 km south of the Trans-Canada Highway near Spruce Woods park.

March 5 -- The AMC and Swan Lake First Nation say a business plan is in place to build the new casino. Municipal leaders say it will be a boon to the area.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition March 6, 2010 A5