Tsleil-Waututh Nation follows City of North Vancouver with casino bid

The Tsleil-Waututh Nation has joined the City of North Vancouver in submitting a bid to the B.C. Lottery Corp. to host a casino on the North Shore.

Citing an opportunity to capture more gambling revenue, the province asked all three North Shore municipalities and two First Nations to consider submitting expressions of interest by July 15. City council voted in June to join the process. On Monday, the lotto corp confirmed the city’s and Tsleil-Waututh’s were the only ones they received.

Tsleil-Waututh Nation did not respond to an interview request.

Any local government that hosts a casino gets a 10 per cent cut of the house’s net revenues. On the North Shore, BCLC estimates that to be between $1.5 million and $2.2 million per year.

It’s now on BCLC to determine which of the two applications will be the lucky winner.

“We look at each of the expressions of interest and evaluate them based on a variety of criteria. There’s a scoring and it’s overseen by a third-party fairness advisor just to make sure the process is fair,” said Laura Piva-Babcock, director of communications for BCLC. “We’ll be looking at population trends, their existing community policies and plans or zoning, permits or restrictions – that sort of thing – and also the estimated potential revenue within an area. It’s really a combination.”

The fairness advisor is former B.C. Liberal Attorney General Geoff Plant.

Before a casino operator is chosen and a licence is granted, the winning government still has to demonstrate that they have consulted with the public as well as other local governments and First Nations within five kilometres of the proposed casino.

“It’s quite proscriptive regarding infrastructure, policing, transportation and highway use,” Piva-Babcock said.

Piva-Babcock could not say whether the expressions of interest included possible locations for casinos. First Nations and municipalities are on a level playing field when it comes to deciding who gets the licence, she added.

The selection process is expected to take place over several weeks and there is no guarantee that either government will be given the OK to approve a casino.

Only after a host government is picked will BCLC decide which casino company can own and operate it. Previously, BCLC had given Playtime Gaming exclusive access to the North Shore, although that triggered a lawsuit from North Vancouver-based Pinnacle Gaming Solutions. In June, the lotto corp said Playtime’s exclusive licence had been “extinguished.”