More casinos may be coming to the Niagara Region in the future, as the Ontario government has announced a deal to end existing exclusivity rights.
Premier Doug Ford announced a plan in December called Destination Niagara, which he hopes will double the number of visitors to the region, with multiple new casinos, a theme park, an expanded airport, and more.
Ontario’s interim minister of tourism, culture and gaming announced last week that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. has reached an agreement with MGE Niagara Entertainment Inc. to allow additional casino operators. MGE will remove its exclusivity rights and will continue to operate Fallsview Casino Resort and Casino Niagara.
OLG is set to launch a procurement process later this year to identify potential new casino operators.
The NDP member of provincial parliament for Niagara Falls, Wayne Gates, has said that he has heard a lot of local opposition to a plan under Ford’s Destination Niagara to add a second ferris wheel near the falls.
Toronto island airport
Meanwhile, Ford also said he believes his government will ultimately be successful in its push to expand Toronto’s island airport to allow jets to land, but he is not indicating how he’ll achieve that.
The land that Billy Bishop Toronto City Airport sits on was governed as a tripartite agreement formerly between the city of Toronto, the federal government and the Toronto Port Authority, which is a federal agency, but the province took over the city’s role earlier this year.
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government rejected Ford’s proposal last month following a consultation largely opposed to the idea of jets.
Carney has said that the results of the federal consultation were clear, but that he is not permanently ruling out allowing jets at the airport because “forever is a long time.”
It is unclear if Ford is viewing those comments as an opening, but he made it clear Thursday that he is not abandoning his vision.
“As we move forward, I truly believe we’re going to convert that airport,” he said at an unrelated press conference in Guelph, Ont. Let the people decide. Let the market decide. If people don’t like it, they aren’t going to have planes there. But guess what? Every single person knows that airport will be a phenomenal success.”
Ford said an expanded island airport would boost the economy and give passengers more convenient travel options and lower fees. He has asked for more polling to be conducted, he said.
If you enjoyed or found this story useful, we’d appreciate if you would forward it to a colleague or friend who may also enjoy it. If, on the other hand, a friend shared it with you, welcome! You can get all the latest travel news and reviews from Travel Industry by simply clicking HERE.