City politicians pledge up to $22 million for south Niagara health care facility

NIAGARA FALLS — A new south Niagara hospital in Niagara Falls moved front and centre Tuesday when City politicians pondered a staff report on how the City should spend funds generated by a new hosting formula with the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation.

Funding for the hospital was one of a series of priorities – the others being tax relief, capital asset re-investment, economic development and debt deferral – listed in the report. But with the news that the province had approved a planning grant – considered the first step in making a new hospital a reality – Mayor Jim Diodati put forward a motion that the city commit “somewhere between $20- and $22-million to the hospital with funding derived from the OLG agreement.”

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With the addition of OLG Slots at Georgian Downs, OLG Slots at Kawartha Downs and OLG Casino Thousand Islands, a total of 13 gaming sites and one gaming resort facility have now earned RG Check accreditation. This means that more than half of OLG’s gaming sites have been recognized by the most rigorous Responsible Gambling (RG) accreditation program in the world.   

OLG Slots at Georgian Downs, OLG Slots at Kawartha Downs and OLG Casino Thousand Islands are the three latest OLG gaming sites to earn RG Check accreditation.

Ten other gaming facilities have previously earned the RG Check accreditation, including: 

• OLG Slots at Western Fair District;
• OLG Casino Point Edward;
• OLG Slots at Dresden Raceway;
• OLG Casino Brantford;
• OLG Slots at Mohawk Racetrack;
• OLG Slots atWoodstockRaceway;
• OLG Casino Sault Ste. Marie;
• OLG CasinoThunder Bay;
• OLG Slots atAjaxDowns; and
• OLG Slots atSudburyDowns.

In addition, Caesars Windsor was the first casino resort property in the world to achieve this accreditation when it was recognized in 2012. 

Administered by the Responsible Gambling Council (RGC), the RG Check accreditation is based on an RG Index that is informed by international best practices and evaluates eight core standards: corporate policies, self-exclusion, advertising and promotion, informed decision making, assisting patrons who may have problems with gambling, access to money, venue and game features, and employee training. The sites met all of these standards, earning OLG the highly recognized accreditation.

OLG knows that when it comes to Responsible Gambling, there is always room for improvement and maintaining OLG’s high quality RG program is critical to OLG’s modernization. OLG will continue to work towards achieving the RG Check accreditation at each of its sites. In addition, all future qualified service providers will be required to adhere to rigorous external standards like the RG Check and the regulations of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

A call for Gananoque residents to step up to the bag and donate blood has paid off for the Canadian Blood Services.

Valerie Watts, community development co-ordinator for the organization, said Gananoque residents have increased their blood giving by 20% after she made a public appeal for more donations.

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WWF congratulates the winners of the second annual Living Planet @ Work Awards.

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Electronic waste is one of the fastest growing waste streams with millions of metric tonnes being produced each year. One way that Living Planet @ Work champions have taken action on this issue is by hosting employee e-waste drives, collecting piles of outdated or broken electronics and sending it off to be responsibly recycled so it doesn’t end up in the landfill or illegally shipped overseas.

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