THUNDER BAY – A slow trickle of returning customers expressed confidence in COVID-19 safety measures as Thunder Bay’s Gateway Casino welcomed customers back for the first time in over six months on Saturday.

Patrons said policies such as mandatory face masks, spacing between slot machines (table games remain closed), and plexiglass barriers between games had helped put them at ease.

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Perhaps most reassuring was the province’s requirement to limit the number of customers inside at one time to 50.

“There’s not enough people to get close to,” said one customer as she left with a friend Saturday. “I think people are scared to go in because of the virus, but if you protect yourself and you stay away from other people… they’re very safe in there.”

She estimated only about 15 customers had been inside early Saturday afternoon. With the addition of a few personal protective measures, the woman said she felt perfectly comfortable inside the Cumberland Street facility Saturday.

“I was all prepared for myself – I brought my gloves, my mask, [and hand sanitizer] so I can make sure I’m safe.”

Given the capacity restrictions, Gateway is currently opening its doors only to My Club Rewards members, who can be accompanied by one guest. Admittance is currently by appointment only.

The company has stated it will communicate information on the new appointment system to existing members.

Members can schedule their play time online, check in upon arrival, and wait in their vehicles until they are cleared to enter.

One of those members, Warren Kakegumick, came to see the changes for himself Saturday. He is concerned about COVID-19, he said, but compared risks at the casino to others people routinely take, such as visiting stores.

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Another patron who walked away with some winnings Saturday afternoon said he agreed everyone needs to be cautious of the virus given its resurgence in other parts of the province.

However, his first experience in the casino since it closed in March due to COVID-19 had proven reassuring.

“It felt pretty safe,” he reported. “A lot of machines are out, so there’s lots of social distancing. They come around and wipe the machines and everyone’s got masks on.”

THUNDER BAY – Lost revenue from the closure of the Gateway Casino is set to add to a growing list of financial challenges faced by Thunder Bay’s municipal government. City treasurer Linda Evans said the city expects to miss out on about $200,000 per month while the closure lasts.

The city already felt a small part of that financial hit earlier this week, when a dividend from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) came in about $90,000 lower than average.

The OLG makes quarterly payments to casino “host communities” using a formula based on local gaming revenue. The City of Thunder Bay pulled in about $2.5 million in the 2019-2020 fiscal year from that arrangement.

April’s installment was impacted by about two weeks of closures, after OLG ordered casinos in the province to close their doors on March 16. The next dividend payment comes in July.

It’s one of a number of financial challenges imposed on the city by the COVID-19 crisis, said Evans, who in addition to serving as the city's treasurer is also the general manager of corporate services and long-term care. In addition to increased expenditures to confront the pandemic, she pointed to the loss of revenue from transit, parking, recreational facilities, fines through the provincial offenses act, and reduced interest income.

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Evans was hopeful the city would be able to reduce some expenses, through lower utility and fuel costs, for example. The city has also laid off about one third of its workforce.

City administration is currently working to assess the current and projected financial impact of the pandemic, said Evans. That information will be presented to city council in a report in early May.

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In the event the city has to run a deficit, Evans said Ontario’s Municipal Act requires it to fund the shortfall through reserve funds, in which she expressed confidence.

“We do have healthy reserve funds, so we’re in a fairly good position from that perspective,” she said.

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If those funds were unable to cover the deficit, Evans said the gap would have to be addressed in the following year’s budget: “It would be an additional cost in the following year for the taxpayers to bear.”