WINNIPEG — Manitoba’s largest First Nation says it “eventually” wants to own a Winnipeg horse racing track and put a casino there.
Peguis First Nation Chief Glenn Hudson made the comment Thursday as he took the wraps off a deal with the Manitoba Jockey Club for a $100-million development at Assiniboia Downs on Winnipeg’s western outskirts.
“Horses run faster on First Nations land,” Hudson said several times during an announcement at Assiniboia Downs Thursday morning.
The deal with the jockey club is to build hotels, convention and retail space on the parking lot between the Downs and the MTS Iceplex hockey facility. More details are expected to be released early in the new year.
Hudson stressed that owning the Downs and putting a casino there is a future goal that would depend on discussions with the province.
“Certainly there is gaming on site here today and I think in the future the potential is great but again we have to have those discussions with the province of Manitoba,” said Hudson.
“Our initial development plan will see hotels, convention and retail space on the land adjoined to the Downs,” Hudson said. “Peguis First Nation places great importance on building partnerships to advance our province’s economic development, and we’re very excited to see the positive impact this new partnership has.”
The jockey club has said the development would be worth $100 million and create 1,000 jobs.
Peguis announced the “joint venture partnership” with the jockey club under the banner of FN Developments Inc. The press release issued Thursday notes the development would not have been possible without the settling of a land claim with the federal government in 2009. The Peguis First Nation 1907 Surrrender Claim Settlement of May 2009 was for just over $126 million, with almost $119 million of that paid into the Peguis Trust.
Peguis First Nation is located in Manitoba’s Interlake region, about 180 kilometres north of Winnipeg. It has about 7,000 residents.
The partnership between the jockey club and Peguis sparked a dispute this week with the Manitoba Horse Racing Commission. The commission expressed concern that a reported $15-million mortgage could result in Peguis taking ownership of the Downs without the commission’s permission. The commission has threatened to take away the jockey club’s licence to run simulcast horse race betting at the Downs, but that conflict is settled for now. A lawyer for the jockey club said an interim licence until Feb. 25 will be issued by the Manitoba Horse Racing Commission.
“We feel vindicated,” said Jeffrey Rath.
The jockey club has taken the provincial government to court over the cutting of a VLT subsidy and what the jockey club sees as an attempt to transfer ownership of the Downs to the Red River Exhibition. Those matters remain before the courts.
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