After being forced to shut down at the end of 2021 due to the latest set of restrictions, Casino Montreal will reopen for business on Monday, 28 February.
According to reports, Montreal’s largest gambling house, Casino Montreal, will reopen on Monday, 28 February. This follows Quebec lifting the latest set of health and safety restrictions, allowing casinos across the province to reopen their doors to the public.
All land-based casinos, bingo and kinzo lounges, and VLTs in Quebec were shut down at the end of 2021 due to the province’s rising number of COVID-19 cases.
Casino Montreal Reopens on Monday
Starting on Monday, 28 February, Casino Montreal will again welcome guests for the first time since December 2021. The casino will operate each day from 9 am to 1 am, and patrons won’t be required to make reservations before arriving.
Loto-Quebec informed that the casino would operate with some health and safety protocols in place. These include proof of vaccination for all guests and enforcement of 50 per cent operating capacity. Both of these rules will fall away on 13 March.
Casino Montreal Employees Still Laid Off
There are rumours that Casino Montreal might reopen without recalling all of its staff members. According to CUPE union representative, Jean-Pierre Proulx, Casino Montreal will reopen with hundreds of hidden layoffs, which contravenes the collective agreement that is currently in place. The current situation was condemned by casino croupiers, who have requested the government to intervene.
Proulx said that following the pandemic outbreak, employees continued to be paid until 21 July 2020, following which they were all aid off. He added that the Crown corporation had commenced the reopening without recalling all its workforce, whose jobs would depend on future capacity. Subsequently, the union demanded that Casino Montreal recalls all its employees by 14 March, or hundreds of workers might be left unemployed.
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Contract Termination
Casino Montreal announced last April that it would be shutting down its L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon restaurant for good. The venue was closed at the start of the pandemic before the casino permanently terminated its contract with Groupe Robuchon. The restaurant was replaced by an Asian dining venue called Ajia, which took over the vacant space.