Only a few weeks after jumpstarting its operations across Canada, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation has been forced to shut down some of their venues again, in the wake of the deteriorating health situation caused by COVID-19.
With the situation surrounding coronavirus pandemic rapidly changing, Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCGC) has had to consider the current circumstances when evaluating the running of its venues. As a result, GCGC has shut down its Casino New Brunswick and Casino Woodbine venues on 9 October.
Last month, the management across all GCG casinos was informed to remain as flexible as possible and be ready to close their venues down quickly should a shutdown announcement be made. Such provincial directives were made shortly after that by the authorities in Ontario and New Brunswick.
Casino New Brunswick
The provincial authorities in the two provinces decreed earlier in the month that all casinos and other specific business will need to suspend their operations temporarily, to safeguard the health and wellbeing of employees and patrons. According to the pandemic barometer, New Brunswick is now back on the orange level of pandemic severity scale.
For businesses, this translates into the closure of all bingo halls, casinos, arcades, theatres, cinemas and gyms. For now, restaurants and bars can remain open whilst implementing the necessary safety protocols. Casino New Brunswick only recently reopened, having been shut for business for a significant part of March to September.
Casino Woodbine
Similar to New Brunswick, the authorities in Ontario ordered all casinos in Peel, Toronto and Ottawa to be shut down on 10 October, with people’s safety remaining the provincial government’s top priority. The Great Canadian Gaming Corporation was the first gambling venue in the province to heed the governments call and shut down its casino adjacent to the Woodbine Racetrack.
Woodbine Casino also recently relaunched its operations when, on 28 September, it reopened for business alongside Great Blue Heron and Casino Ajax. As it stands, Woodbine Casino is the only GCGC venue to be closed in Ontario. The remaining ten casinos under the GCGC portfolio in Ontario will remain open, for the time being.
