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July 3, 2020 – Gateway Casinos & Entertainment (Gateway) is pleased to announce more plans to re-open their restaurants, including signature brands like Atlas Steak + Fish (Atlas) and Match Eatery & Public House (Match). The 'temporary' casino opened in Sault Ste. As of 2013, it was attracting about 1,700 visitors a day and brings in $20.6 million in annual revenue, but both of those numbers had. MARIE, ON – Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited (Gateway) will be appointing a new Regional Director to be based in Sault Ste.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Subsequent to the publication of this article, lawyers for Gateway Casinos and Entertainment told OrilliaMatters that MP Pierre Poilievre’s statement included a number of inaccuracies such as “the company was just downgraded to junk status and its parent company lost 95 per cent of its value on the stock market before being delisted altogether,” which is false. Lawyers for Gateway advised further that Gateway is a private company and has not been listed on a public exchange and has not lost 95% of its value on any stock market

A long-time Conservative MP says Gateway Casinos and Entertainment, which operates Gateway Casinos Sault Ste. Marie and many other gambling facilities, “swindled a naive prime minister out of $200 million” of taxpayers’ money.

During an animated exchange with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Wednesday in the House of Commons, Carleton MP Pierre Poilievre says Gateway is a “failing casino firm” and he chided Trudeau for “throwing away our money in this jackpot for casino insiders.”

Gambling on a casino bailout. pic.twitter.com/eG4ZNhIzNU

Poilievre is referring to the news that Gateway was provided a loan from the Canada Enterprise Emergency Funding Corp. under its Large Employer Emergency Financing Facility (LEEFF).

The agreement, announced in late September, provides Gateway with access to $200 million of liquidity.

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“These funds will provide us with capital to support restarting our operations and returning people back to work when it is safe and viable to do so,” Gateway CEO Tony Santo said in an email to employees.

But Poilievre said the company is not deserving of the funding.

“The company was just downgraded to junk status and its parent company lost 95 per cent of its value on the stock market before being delisted altogether,” Poilievre said Wednesday.

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“In fact, financial experts in Toronto say the company vastly overvalues its assets. But there is someone who would invest other people’s money in it - the casino just got the jackpot of $200 million from this government,” said the former cabinet minister in Stephen Harper’s government.

“Would the financial genius over there who invested $200 million of our tax dollars in this failing casino firm please stand up.”

Trudeau stood up and provided the following response.

“While the Conservatives play silly political games, we recognize the extraordinary situation Canadians are facing,” said Trudeau, who noted Canadians are “worried” about “how they’re going to make it through this pandemic.'

Robert Mitchell, director of communications and public affairs for Gateway, said the MP’s statement contained inaccuracies.

“Mr. Poilievre’s comments contained a number of factual errors which have since been corrected with his office,” Mitchell told OrilliaMatters.

He also said the casino company’s LEEF application “had the support from MPs across the political spectrum … including Simcoe North MP Bruce Stanton and 10 other Conservative MPs who wrote letters of support on behalf of Gateway and our 8,000 employees across Canada.”

He also stressed the LEEFF funding will be repaid by Gateway.

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“The LEEFF program is a loan that will be repaid,” said Mitchell. “We will use the funds to help re-open our businesses and get people back to work as soon as it is safe and viable to do so.”

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He noted Gateway is “excited to welcome back many employees this week as we re-open a number of facilities today and Saturday, including our Innisfil site.”

Tshweu Moleme of Orillia, a Unifor rep at Casino Rama, a Gateway-owned site that will stay closed as others in the province reopen, said he “can understand some of the concerns raised by the Opposition, especially given the size of the ($200-million) LEEFF loan.”

Poilievre “is doing what he’s in Parliament for - to hold both the government and the borrower accountable,” said Moleme

“He can help the government in making sure that the money (is) used as intended - to help revive a business and to keep jobs,” he said.

Moleme applauded the Liberals’ support.

“The government has done its part, ensuring that Gateway employees can still have jobs to return to. It's now Gateway's turn to keep their word … This is about saving jobs and helping Canadian families,” he said.

Now is not “the time for partisan jabs. Canadians would like to see MPs work together, making sure that we get through this pandemic and come back strong. The entire parliament should be on the side of workers.”

He urges Gateway to use this “much needed financial oxygen” to reopen Casino Rama.

“With such a significant loan, a world-class facility like Casino Rama should be coming back strong,” Moleme said. “I believe that's what parliamentarians, workers, and communities would also like to see happen.”

– OrilliaMatters

Gateway Casinos Sault Ste. Marie (formerly OLG Casino Sault Ste. Marie) is a casino in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Owned an Operated by Burnaby based Gateway Casinos & Entertainment, it was Northern Ontario's first full-time casino when it opened in 1999.^[1] The casino is located near the International Bridge which links the city to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan.

Facilities[edit]

Food and beverage facilities offered by the casino include a 100-seat restaurant and a bar^[2]. The gaming area is 35,000 square feet (3,300 m²) in size and includes 450 slot machines and 21 game tables.^[3] There currently are no accommodations or entertainment facilities on site, making it difficult for the facility to compete with the other casinos in its local market located minutes away in the State of Michigan. The current casino facility has been housed in a temporary movable dome structure since opening in 1999 and has required numerous repairs due to its long-term use. Although the City of Sault Ste. Marie is currently home to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, much like its past financial decision to operate two offices, the corporate office based in Toronto currently has no long-term plans for a permanent presence in the Northern Ontario city in the form of any significant investment into any permanent structures.^[4]

Facts and figures[edit]

• Casino floor size: 35,000-square-foot (3,300 m²)
• Slot machines: 360
• Table games: 9
• Restaurants: 1
• Bars: 1

Drinking age as an attraction[edit]

The casino derives some of its customers from the United States, in part because the drinking age in Ontario is 19, as opposed to 21 in Michigan.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Ontario's Top Attractions - TransCanadaHighway.com
2. ^Casino Sault. Ste. Marie - Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation
3. ^Casino Sault. Ste. Marie - Tourism Sault. Ste. Marie
4. ^Future Development In Doubt - Sault This Week

External links[edit]