Posted Nov 23, 2007, 2:19 PM
|
 |
Registered User
|
|
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: Grand Bay-Westfield :: NB
Posts: 3,088
|
|
'Everybody and his dog would like a casino'
Talk: Rumours swirl around where Moncton might land a casino and convention centre
Denis Losier, president and CEO of Assumption Life, thinks this site in Moncton – the parking lot next to the Delta Beauséjour hotel – would be ideal for any downtown proposed development. This photo was taken from the roof of the Assumption building.
Nathan White
Telegraph-Journal
Published Friday November 23rd, 2007
Appeared on page A1
MONCTON - Looking out the windows of his 18th-floor office atop Moncton's tallest building, Denis Losier might have the best view in town.
The president and CEO of Assumption Life is a major player on the New Brunswick business scene. But as rumours swirl around where Moncton might land a casino and convention centre, Losier is waiting to see who else comes to the table before anteing up.
A pair of documents made public in recent weeks are fuelling speculation about a possible multi-use complex that would include a convention centre and casino in Moncton.
The City of Moncton recently received an exhaustive market feasibility study from PKF Consulting that makes recommendations for building a convention centre. That comes on the heels of the provincial government's Responsible Gaming Policy, which includes a plan to build one central 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 venue to attract tourists.
"With the new 🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵🞵 policy, everybody and his dog would like to have a casino on their land," says Losier. "I'm kind of sitting back now and watching things develop."
The PKF report refers to coupling entertainment or retail venues with a convention centre, and specifically mentions a "potential gaming facility."
Losier has wanted for years to build a multi-purpose conference facility with underground parking on the Assumption-owned parking lot beside the Delta Beauséjour hotel. His vision would link with major downtown buildings such as the Blue Cross building, city hall, and perhaps a new hotel.
He still believes that location would be the best spot for any downtown commercial development.
"It seems the most interesting place is to park that on our land in the back," says Losier. "We'd be willing to sit down with people entertaining that idea and see what our options are."
Losier would want to be a partner in any such development, not just sell the land, and he's open to including a casino in those discussions. His background as a former Liberal cabinet minister could make him an attractive partner for any group seeking the government's blessing to build the province's lone casino.
"It's got to make sense for us and the promoter. If it's a casino, we'll look at it depending on who's proposing it," he says. "We want some serious offers."
PKF cited Losier's lot as one of two suitable locations for a convention centre. The other is the former Beaver Lumber property on the corner of Assumption Boulevard and Westmorland Street.
Toronto's Verdiroc Development Corp. has already announced its intention to make a proposal for a casino on that property, which would also include a hotel, convention centre, restaurant and performance venue.
However, that area is slightly removed from the heart of downtown, and Losier believes his location would make more sense for the conference business.
"It would be more logical than a piecemeal approach where we have different buildings all over the place," says Losier.
He pointed to a statistic in the PKF study that shows nearly half of meeting planners surveyed require an integrated facility.
"When I go to different places across the country, I want to be able to walk from my hotel room without rubber boots and big coats," says Losier. "If my wife had to walk across the parking lot in her high heels in sleet and snow, I don't think we'd go back."
Two cards have yet to be played in the downtown poker game: the federal government is expected to announce funding for a convention centre, while the province has yet to declare where it will build a new downtown courthouse.
The federal funding is said to be close, as the province nears a deal that could be worth more than $600 million under the Building Canada Fund.
Gisele Regimbal, spokeswoman for the provincial Department of Intergovernmental Affairs, says a deal is "very, very close" and could be announced before Christmas. She said it would be possible to use federal money to fund the convention centre part of any development, regardless of what may be attached to it.
Meanwhile, the province is weighing nine proposals to build the courthouse. However, none of those would combine it with a convention centre, so the courthouse will likely proceed as a stand-alone structure.
While a convention centre is almost certainly ticketed for downtown, a casino could end up elsewhere. An unidentified American group is exploring building an attraction that would include a casino outside the city centre.
Losier says he's spoken to that group, and their vision is "quite impressive."
"It would be more in line with the tourism strategy of attracting not only people to play on one-armed bandits, but to have a full resort type of experience," says Losier. "If you're looking for a destination-area type of resort, you need a lot of space to accommodate the activities you're going to do and downtown is probably not the best place."
However the chips fall, Losier hopes to see a well-thought-out development that brings long-term benefits to the province.
"If we're going to go ahead, let's choose the best option, one that will give us a lot more attraction globally," he said. "If we're going to look at developing a tourism strategy and bringing people here from all over the place, let's make a winning solution the first day."
|
Prev
At this point, this debate is quite redundant...
Linear Mode
