OLG payment to city coffers falls during racetrack labour dispute

The City of Ottawa has received about a quarter of a millionfewer dollarsfrom OntarioLottery and Gaming Corporation since a labour dispute began last December at the RideauCarletonRaceway.

• Court order restricts Rideau Carleton Raceway picket

OLG sent the city just $629,706 for the first three months of 2016 (a period spent entirely in labour unrest), compared to the $861,974 Ottawa received for hosting OLG slot machines in the same period in 2015.

Ontario Lottery and Gaming said overall, the revenues it sent the City of Ottawa fell about four per cent, to $4.95 million, from April 2015 to March 2016, because of the employees' picket line and the reduced hours at the casino.

The 124 employees were locked out Dec. 15, 2015, after contract talks stalled between the OLG and a group of Public Service Alliance of Canada workers.

They're going to have to find the money from somewhere and where's it going to come? Not from me because I've been locked out,- slot attendant Kate Seniuk

The city often uses OLG money to fix up other recreation buildings, or retrofit buildings to make them accessible. OLG money went toward building the Jules Morin Park field house in Lowertown, for instance.

"They're going to have to find the money from somewhere and where's it going to come? Not from me because I've been locked out," said Kate Seniuk, a slot attendant who has been walking the picket line on Albion Road.

She said theshortfall affects the city but alsohospital operating budgets in Ontario that receive gaming revenues from OLG.

City anticipated receiving $5.6M in2016

OLG said it values its relationship with the City of Ottawa, and had told the mayor's office about the latest, smallerpayment.

The average five million dollars per year from OLG is small relative toa budget worth more than $3 billion, but still mayor Jim Watson says the city does count on that money.

"Obviously it is a concern, because we build that figureinto the budget, but that figure does fluctuate from year to year," said Watson.

"My hope is that the workers and management are able to get together and reach a settlement so we can not only see people back at work earning a good living but at the same time it brings a little bit more continuity to our revenue stream."

For the2016 city budget, staff expected to receive $5.6 million from OLG, so that leaves $5 million to made up over nine months.

In an email, city treasurer Marian Simulik said it's too early to anticipate what gap might exist by year-end.

The OLG money is treated as general revenue, and has not yet been allocated to particular projects, she added.