Chiefs vow to expand gaming
WHITECAP DAKOTA FIRST NATION — As talks stall over a possible casino sale between the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) and the provincial government, some First Nations leaders are initiating their own potentially lucrative gaming projects.
The projects, which include an expansion of an online gaming site and a new casino in Lloydminster, are an assertion of First Nations sovereignty as much as a smart business move, say proponents.
“Gaming was never going to make us rich. It’s all about sovereignty and jobs for our people,” said former White Bear First Nation chief Bernie Shepherd, who is preparing to expand his northernbear.com online gaming site.
The site drew criticism from several fronts when launched in the fall of 2013, with threats to shut the business down or even lay criminal charges. That hasn’t materialized. Shepherd, who sat as an observer at the FSIN assembly Wednesday and Thursday, said he would relish a legal challenge to establish First Nations authority, much as he did following a 1993 raid of the White Bear casino while he was chief.
The other major project is a proposed casino, hotel and convention centre on the Saskatchewan side of the city of Lloydminster, seen as one of the last viable, untapped casino markets in the province.
Little Pine First Nation Chief Wayne Semaganis failed to get the support of a majority of FSIN chiefs in a vote late Thursday, but said he is willing to partner with supportive First Nations and will forge ahead. The casino would be independent of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA), which is owned by the FSIN.
“If we have to go it alone (without FSIN support), we’ll do that. It’s not about the casino. It’s about sovereignty,” Semaganis said. “I am always going to push this.”
Semaganis joked that he has a shovel in his car trunk and will break ground once he leaves the assembly at the Whitecap Dakota First Nation and drives to Lloydminster.
“It’s not the easy things that make us stronger. It’s the struggles,” he said. Semaganis said he’d like to begin construction as soon as possible, but will consult with the band’s lawyers and investors first.