Staff cuts in the cards at Casino Sault Ste. Marie?

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment, which operates Casino Sault Ste. Marie, will be trimming staff at the local casino if some employees opt to take advantage of a company offer.  

“I can confirm that we’ve offered voluntary exit packages to staff, and that would include tenured staff that have more than 20 years experience,” said Rob Mitchell, Gateway’s communications and public affairs director for eastern Canada, speaking to SooToday Wednesday.

“It’s like the Factor 80 with the provincial government, (in which) years of experience and age combined lets you take retirement.”

Mitchell said letters were sent to staff eligible to take voluntary exit packages two weeks ago.

Mitchell said he is not yet certain how many employees, if any, have taken the offer.

Gateway, of Burnaby, B.C., was announced in 2016 by Ontario Lottery and Gaming (OLG) as the service provider for OLG’s North and Southwest Gaming Bundles, which includes the Sault’s casino.

There are 270 employees at the local casino, which Gateway took over in 2017.

“It wasn’t unique to Sault Ste. Marie. We offered it at other locations (where Gateway operates),” Mitchell said.

“We are, as part of the ongoing modernization program that was brought on by OLG, right sizing some locations, adjusting our hours to meet market demand, so that is, in some circumstances, meaning some staff reductions at some sites.”

Meanwhile, Tony Bitonti, OLG senior manager of media relations, told SooToday “I can categorically say that (talk of job cuts at OLG’s office at 70 Foster Drive) is false, those are just rumours.”

“Our CEO (Stephen Rigby) sent Mayor Christian Provenzano a letter saying that OLG’s direct employment levels in the Sault will remain stable for at least three years, over our three year planning horizon. There’s nothing happening at Foster Drive in terms of downsizing or anything along that line.”

In the letter March 5 letter, Rigby wrote “our commitment to our employees in Sault Ste. Marie and to the broader community will remain unchanged, even as OLG continues to evolve into a new and different organization by task and culture.”

Bitonti said 554 people were employed at OLG in Sault Ste. Marie as of Dec. 31, 2017.

“We’re one of the biggest employers in the community.”