Lloydminster residents received their first look at a prospective casino. Representatives from the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) were in the Border City to present their plans on Wednesday.
SIGA said it has received all required approvals and has the greenlight to move forward with the project.
READ MORE: Lloydminster Casino Project receives formal approval by FSIN
The 31,000-foot facility would provide 140 jobs, which SIGA president and CEO Zane Hansen says covers everything from marketing to food and beverage.
“Very good, well-paying jobs, good, solid dependable jobs. We’ll have career fairs on that as the project moves along and there will be lots of information in time for people to have a look at it,” Hansen said.
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Chief Wayne Semaganis of Little Pine First Nation said surveyors and geologists are already testing the soil and site markings in order to start construction as soon as possible.
“All those tests have to be done and we have to get the tests back before we can decide what it is we’re going to build and how long that’ll take. So, it’s still a bit of a question, but I’d say we should get the results in two or three days,” Semaganis said.
Semaganis hopes the site’s foundation will be laid in December in order to open in early may. However, he admits weather could drastically change things.
“That’s my wish, right. The reality is we don’t know what kind of weather we’re going to get this winter. Global warming has really thrown a curve ball at us so we can’t predict those things at all anymore,” Semaganis said.
READ MORE: BC Lottery Corporation probing interest in new casinos
In order for the project to get fully underway, there’s plenty of community consultation to undergo first.
“We’ll do things, information sessions on the type of employment and other opportunities and the type of corporate partner we’ll be in the community. So, we’ll put some together that way and if there are other groups that want to meet with us, we’re glad to sit down,” Hansen said.
And Semaganis is confident, based on his discussions with the city that they are on the same page.
“Governments are hurting all over and this is going to give them the ability to put more from the community development preparation, some of that profit to ease their burden,” Semaganis said.
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