Gaming agreement signed

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A new 25-year gaming agreement between the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations (FSIN) and the province of Saskatchewan is one step closer to becoming reality, following the signing of an agreement in principle on April 25.

FSIN Chief Perry Bellegarde and Ron Osika, minister of Government Relations and chairperson of the Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority (SLGA), signed the agreement in principle, which sets out the terms of a new gaming agreement between the First Nations organization and the province.

The original gaming agreement between the FSIN and the province was signed in 1995, and paved the way for the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority (SIGA) to open and operate casinos in Saskatchewan.

When SIGA came under fire in 2000 due to mismanagement of gaming profits by members of the gaming authority's management and board, the province refused to begin negotiations on a new agreement until SIGA met a list of requirements set out by the SLGA to improve financial management and accountability in SIGA operations. Those requirements were met last July to the satisfaction of the provincial regulatory authority.

Under the new gaming agreement, the percentage of gaming revenues going to the First Nations Fund and to the provincial government remains unchanged at 37.5 per cent, as does the 25 per cent share earmarked for Community Development Corporations. If any future casinos operated by SIGA are located off reserve, the agreement would see that 25 per cent go to the Community Initiatives Fund.

Among the new features included in the agreement are provisions to increase accountability, such as creation of the First Nations Trust to manage the FSIN share of gaming profits. The role of the trust would be to ensure the funds are used only for purposes allowed for under the agreement, as a way of improving accountability to the FSIN, First Nations, and the provincial government.

The agreement also gives the FSIN the go ahead to bring in 250 additional slot machines to the province, half of them right away, and the other half in three years.

An increase in SIGA profits earmarked for the First Nations Addictions Rehabilitation Fund is also included in the agreement, bringing the total funding for treatment of gambling addictions among the province's First Nations people up to $1.5 million annually.

The agreement also maintains the FSIN's exclusive rights to developing a casino in Saskatoon for the next three years, and commits both the province and the FSIN to work on a proposal to the federal government on recognizing First Nations' jurisdiction over gaming on First Nations' land.

Under the agreement in principle, the gaming agreement would be reviewed every five years of the 25-year term.

The agreement in principle extends the existing gaming agreement until June 11, to allow time for finalization and signing of the new agreement.