With Ontario moving into stage three of its reactivation plan, casino venues across the province have been given the go-ahead to reopen.
On the back of the economic restart in other provinces, Ontario, too, has greenlighted the reopening of its casino venues. The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation wasted no time, announcing a simultaneous reopening of 11 of its Ontario properties.
The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation is a gambling industry leader established in 1982 and operates 26 entertainment, gaming, and hospitality venues across Ontario, New Brunswick, British Columbia, and Nova Scotia. The company plans to reopen most of its remaining casinos after restarting operations in British Columbia and Nova Scotia.
Stage Three Reactivation
Ontario will enter stage three of its reopening plan earlier than expected, on 16 July. After being forced to close in April, all casinos can now reopen. However, the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation informed that all venues would operate under reduced capacity to promote social distancing and comply with the provincial health and safety framework.
The company is set to relaunch 11 of its gaming properties, including Casino Woodbine, Great Blue Heron Casino, Elements Casino Mohawk, Casino Ajax, Elements Casino Flamboro, Elements Casino Grand River, Elements Casino Brantford, Shorelines Casino Belleville, Shorelines Casino Thousand Islands, Shorelines Casino Peterborough, and Shorelines Slots at Kawartha Downs.
The gaming leader also announced that Pickering Casino Resort wouldn’t reopen along with the remainder of its Ontario properties. Instead, the facility will recommence operations when the rest of the resort venues reopen in 2022.
British Columbia Venues
On 1 July, the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation reopened its casinos in British Columbia as the province entered stage three of its economic restart plan. The corporation renewed operations at River Rock Casino Resort, Elements Casino Victoria, Hard Rock Casino Vancouver, Elements Casino Chilliwack, Elements Casino Surrey, Casino Nanaimo, Hastings Racecourse, Chances Dawson Creek, and Chances Maple Ridge.
The company’s acting Chief Executive Officer, Terrance Doyle, noted that the restart in the province comes as excellent news for the corporation as it paves the way to recovery from the pandemic-driven global financial crisis. With the reopening of casinos in British Columbia, over 1,000 of the company’s employees have returned to their jobs.
