Battlefords Tribal Council is calling for a public inquiry into Indian gaming in Saskatchewan.
BTC is calling for all the key players, including chiefs of Saskatchewan and Premier Brad Wall, to establish a public inquiry that will receive and review information and evidence of mismanagement and corruption in the FSIN's control of Indian gaming. They said in a news release the process under the Gaming Framework Agreement (GFA) has been corrupted by political favoritism and conflict of interest.
A main point of contention for BTC is the provision in the GFA that allowed the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs to be appointed the host tribal council for the casino and control the Community Development Corporation dollars, or CDC.
In a statement BTC tribal representative and chief, Wayne Semaganis, said the "problems with BATC's management of Gold Eagle CDC funding and the FSIN's control over the Gaming Framework Agreement/SIGA casinos has reached a critical point."
"First nations must take back control of all on-reserve gaming from the FSIN. The local BTC First Nations who have invested $20 million in the Gold Eagle Casino complex are being cheated out of their legal rights (a) to manage and receive CDC funding and (b) to update and expand the Gold Eagle Casino."
BTC is calling for FSIN to be removed as a signatory to the Gaming Framework Agreement, and be replaced by the six First Nations and tribal council groups that, according to BTC, actually invested time and millions of dollars to establish the six SIGA casinos. BTC is also threatening legal action on the issue.
