Thursday, April 08, 2010

Casino Royale Gets Pointy: Mr. Turner Speaks...

HowManyStories
CanOnePhoneCallFitVille


....And tells the Globe's Justine Hunter that he told the Minister in charge of BC Place the following when he called him up sometime last year, likely according to Mr. Turner, sometime 'around October'*:

".....if the roof does not get built, we (Paragon Gaming Inc.) may have to revisit the size and scope of what we planned (for the adjoining Casino),” he (Mr. Turner) recalled telling the minister (Kevin Krueger). “You figure out what’s right for British Columbia – leave the roof as it is, make it a pyramid, whatever – and that’s fine. Then we’ll figure out what we have to do.”

Mr. Turner also told Ms. Hunter the following about the NDP's call for an investigation by British Columbia's Lobbyist Registrar Paul Fraser:

“It’s got nothing to do with Rick Turner and it has everything to do with politics of B.C.”


Ya.

Sure thing Mr. T.


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*The date of the call, as we have noted previously, is critical because the 'decision' on the roof was not announced until Oct 23rd, 2009.....

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9 comments:

Ian said...

Section 73 of the Gaming Control Act:
Section 73 to require gaming services providers to notify the Branch in advance of any proposed changes in ownership or control. This will allow the Branch to conduct the required background investigations and confirm suitability before any new participants enter the gaming industry.

I wonder when the former owners notified the branch of a change of ownership?

RossK said...

Thanks Ian--

Would that not also mean that the Branch and/or PavCo should have, as part of their due diligence, determined who the Directors of the 3rd Party Numbered Company that bought into Edgewater with Paragon and Mr. Turner in 2006, are?

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Ian said...

Why, yes it should.

RossK said...

Thanks Ian - That's what I was thinking already, but now I have something specific to reference...please feel free to wade in, at any time, with helpful hints such as these.

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Ian said...

Sorry for this long post but here's what the act says the gaming branch must determine prior to a change. This is from a letter from Derek Sturko to the industry.

It came out 4 months prior to the Edgewater change of ownership and would have captured all interested parties to that change.

The following is to advise you of important changes to the Gaming Control Act (“the Act”) and the Gaming Control Regulation (the Regulation”) which came into effect on June 23, 2006 and which affect all registered Gaming Services Providers. Complete information on these changes will be available shortly on the Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch (“GPEB”) website: www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/gaming
Changes to the Act include:
• Amending the definition of associate in section 1(1)(a) of the Act to include any person with an “interest” in a registrant’s or applicant’s business or in a gaming facility.
• Amending section 73 to require gaming services providers to report and to receive approval for any proposed changes in ownership or control in advance.
• Amending section 88 and adding a new section 88.1 to prohibit people from promoting or engaging in unauthorized activities related to lottery schemes or the development, use, substantial change or relocation of gaming facilities.
Changes to the Regulation include:
• Amending the interpretation for the definition of associate in section 2 of the Regulation to describe “interest” in relation to a registrant or applicant.
• Amending section 2(2) (f) regarding the reporting of indebtedness and adding a new subsection (g) to include interested parties, who in the opinion of the general manager, are parties to an agreement or arrangement the purpose of which is to require them to act in concert with respect to their direct or indirect interests in a gaming licensee, registrant or applicant.

RossK said...

Ian--

To quote the headband's husband....

'Faaaaaaaantastic'

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Hey guess what I just learned combing the PavCo files....It was not Gregor's Administration that approved the development plan for the lands surrounding BC Place up to 1.4 million buildable sq ft......

That tidbit, with details and attribution coming soon....

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Ian said...

I've been having quite an argument with the folks at City Caucus about the NPA development levy giveaway in the dying days of Sam Sullivan.

The NPA tied the current administration's hands. The previous COPE admin got lots out of the original Edgewater group. No matter what you think about gambling the two different approaches to approvals couldn't be more night and day, with the NPA representing the dark night of Vancouver.

RossK said...

Ya, well Ian, the Spamaloteers as I call them have a vested interest in their revisionist history....

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Anonymous said...

Mayor McWheels strikes again. LIke a bad smell, can't seem to shake it.

Kam Lee