Simmering gambling dispute may come to a boil

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Manitoba's skirmishes over on-reserve gaming are causing ripples in Saskatchewan where Native and provincial leaders have also been unsuccessful in establishing new Indian gaming laws.

Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations president Roland Crowe last week warned of confrontation if the provincial government doesn't bend soon to allow on-reserve casinos.

Options for the province's First Nations are running out as they continue to meet government resistance through peaceful, non-confrontational methods, Crowe said.

Native leaders have been negotiating with the province to set up a Native-run gaming commission. The talks, however, have not come close to settling the debate.

The federation, which represents the province's status communities, has accused the government of negotiating in bad faith on a self-government issue. The government has claimed the federation has a conflict of interest on its hands because its main consultants have close ties to an American company that sells gambling machines.

Various government departments are now working on a report on gaming, which is expected to go before the cabinet in the near future.

Saskatchewan Gaming Commission spokesman Dave McInnes said the government has been looking at models which would be legal under the Criminal Code. But McInnes also said the process could get even more complicated because companies form outside Saskatchewan are trying to cash in on potential development.

Community leaders do not expect an easy resolution to the gaming question in Saskatchewan. Harry Lafonde, chief of the Muskeg band which wants to open a casino, said the Manitoba raids are a set back for his cause and he expects the matter to wind

up in the courts.