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UPDATED: Surrey welcomes news that Newton slots will go

Amy Reid
63908doug-elford

NEWTON — The British Columbia Lottery corporation says the Newton slots will go, following the City of Surrey calling for their removal earlier this month.

The community has also expressed strong opposition to the project.

BCLC announced Wednesday it has decided to discontinue plans for converting the Newton Bingo Country into a community gaming centre.

BCLC said in a release that it will continue to offer bingo at the location and work with Gateway Casinos to discontinue slot operations by May 15, 2014.

The decision, the lottery corporation says, is based on “the changing local market conditions, which do not satisfy BCLC’s vision to offer outstanding gaming and entertainment.”

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

The project has been around the council table for some time, and has been met with much controversy.

In 2009, Surrey council approved the redevelopment of the Newton Square Shopping Centre, including the development of Newton Bingo Country into a community gaming centre, which would feature a mix of gaming products, including bingo and slot machines.

At the time, Newton residents pressured council to deny the proposal, while local non-profits that benefit from gaming wanted it passed. In the end, the plan was approved by a narrow 5-4 vote.

In October 2012, the city approved the temporary placement of up to 150 slots at Newton Bingo Country for up to 18 months. Concurrently, BCLC and Gateway proposed relocating the community gaming centre to South Surrey and developing a casino entertainment complex.

Under the terms of the proposed South Surrey casino, which was shot down in a 4-5 vote in January 2013, Gateway agreed to renovate the dilapidated Newton complex if its casino was not approved.

Following the decision on the South Surrey proposal, Gateway submitted its application for a development permit for the Newton site in October 2013. Site plans included the construction of three new buildings for retail space and extensive renovation of the Newton Bingo Country building, which was slated to relaunch as a permanent community gaming centre in late 2014.

Earlier this month, Surrey council looked to shut down the slots. At a council meeting on March 10, Mayor Dianne Watts brought forward a motion asking staff to bring a report forward regarding Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Ltd. approaching deadlines laid out in an agreement with the city, and to ask BCLC to remove the slots.

The decision was welcome news to Surrey council.

“I think that BCLC was looking at the entire project and I think that in terms of the larger picture, that that was not the ideal location for the facility,” said Mayor Dianne Watts immediately after the announcement. “I think that BCLC certainly was listening to the community and the issues that we’re dealing with in Newton, so having them take a step back and reassess that is really a responsible way to go.”

Coun. Barinder Rasode was thrilled to hear BCLC has pulled the plug on the slots.

“I applaud BCLC for being so respectful of the concerns that have been raised by the community,” Rasode said. “This shows that a collective voice can implement positive change in a community.”

She noted that the Newton site doesn’t meet the city’s own gaming policy, which states that any Surrey casino must be a component of a “cluster of tourism facilities.”

Rasode applauded BCLC for their responsiveness, and also for their timeliness in moving forward with the removal of the slots. As well, she applauded the community for “keeping their eye” on how the project proceeded.

Doug Elford of the Newton Community Association said he was shocked to hear the news.

“It wasn’t the place for slots, as far as we were concerned,” he said.

Elford went on to say he’s now concerned about the redevelopment of the shopping centre.

“If there’s not the commitment to slots now, does that mean the commitment to redevelopment is gone as well? We need that revitalized. It’s nice to say goodbye to the slots, but what’s going to happen there?”

Elford thanked those on council who battled for the removal of the slots, pointing specifically to Marvin Hunt.

“Give credit where credit is due,” Elford said.

Susan Dolinski, spokesperson for BCLC, said the decision was not in response to the City of Surrey calling for the removal of the slots. In fact, Dolinski said the corporation has yet to receive an official request in writing from the city.

“It’s not in response to a specific request from the city, but of course, we’ve heard concerns expressed in the community,” Dolinski said.

BCLC had been considering revoking plans for the community gaming centre for some time, she added.

Dolinski wouldn’t say whether BCLC was considering bringing forward another South Surrey casino application to the city.

“We are not in a position to even say what our future plans are going to be at this point. We now need to review our options and look at the market opportunities that exist south of the Fraser and then come back with a proposal that makes sense. What that looks like or when that might be I can’t say at this time. But we’re certainly going to work, and are very much committed to working with Gateway on that front. At this stage, they have an operating bingo hall in Newton still and that bingo hall will still continue to operate at that location. Our intention is to at some stage, relocate that facility and again, and do so in a way that satisfies our vision to offer an outstanding gaming entertainment experience, and better serve the market in Surrey.”

When asked if BCLC would look outside of Surrey, Dolinski said that’s currently up for discussion, adding that the lottery corporation is looking all over south of the Fraser at this point and that any future proposals would go through public consultation and the local government approval process.

When asked if there are still plans to redevelop the shopping centre, Gateway spokesperson Tanya Gabara said, "With today’s announcement we have to put the entire project on hold until we have an opportunity to evaluate our options."

Gabara said Gateway Casinos has diligently pursued the redevelopment of the Newton Square Mall for the past 18 months.

"This comes as part of a longstanding commitment to rejuvenating the property through a phased redevelopment of the site. The plan would have included new commercial retail space and a new community gaming centre with a signature dinning option and expanded entertainment."

Gabara said Gateway is very disappointed to hear the BCLC announcement.

 

"We are a long standing member of the Newton community, and have provided a safe and entertaining gaming experience at the Newton facility for over two decades. Going forward, we will continue to offer bingo at this location, and look forward to continuing to serve the community."

areid@thenownewspaper.com