Adam said
"The building beside the hotel was unlabelled at the groundbreaking and it’s not labelled on the billboard at the site but there was reference in the press release to an entertainment centre. Now the rendering used in the Sun today labels it as a Gaming Centre. The most recent plebiscite was 2008, 11 years ago, where 57% voted ‘no’ to a casino.
Not clear how casino-like of a facility that might be and what process might lead to the Gaming Centre portion of the development but it sounds like the gas bar and retail spaces are to be developed first.
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Do I get to say "I told you so" now to the people that voted "NO" because they didn't want an urban reserve? I remember that plebiscite, and I voted yes, not because I was pro-casino, but because I knew that Brandon would eventually end up with an urban reserve because the population of Brandon didn't actually get a say. It did nothing other than foster distrust and resentment.
The establishment of an urban reserve is an intergovernmental process between the federal government and the involved band or bands. The City of Brandon and its citizens never had any legal say, and the 2002 and 2008 plebiscites were a useless exercise.
If you drive past the Petro-Canada near Polo-Park here in Winnipeg, you'd never know it was an urban reserve. The Kapyong barracks on Kenaston will soon enter reserve status, and I'm looking forward to the economic activity that will come with it.
Frankly, I hope there is a casino, not that I'll ever go. At least it will finally be in the right location. The Sand Hills location was always an insane proposition.