gambling in alberta - Research Services - University of Lethbridge

etter skilled individuals in the communities and had had employment prior to the casino).
Consistent with this is the fact that there is no evidence that these jobs significantly impacted
overall employment levels within Alberta First Nations. According to the recently published
Statistics Canada Aboriginal labour force analysis for 2008/2009, Alberta’s Aboriginal
population experienced a 5.6% decline in employment rate, now listed at 69.5%. This
represents the lowest rate for Aboriginal people in all the provinces. Likewise, the Aboriginal
unemployment rate rose by 5.8% to 12.9%. This period of time represented the end part of a
recession. However, even so, Statistics Canada shows that the employment rate among the
general population of Albertans fell by only 2.5%.
Employment figures for each First Nations community are not available, making it impossible to
determine how casino openings affected local employment trends. Statistics Canada and
Indian and Northern Affairs Canada (INAC) utilize Canadian census data, the latest year being
2006. Accordingly, since all of the First Nations casinos opened after 2006, we are unable to
provide trends analyses. First Nations have also cited an inherent right to self-government to
restrict Canadian surveyors from reserves. Furthermore, the Tsuu T’ina and the Enoch Cree
Nations refused to participate in the 2006 federal census, and thus their community profiles
lack vital data for employment, annual earnings, work force characteristics, or even gender and
age. Considering these two communities host the largest casinos, and benefit significantly from
the projects, the lack of complete (or any) data sets hinders our analysis.
Economic Spin-Offs
First Nations viewed casinos as catalysts for general economic development. The Research
Team was able to establish that there have been 31 new businesses opened on 12 First Nations,
directly attributable to FNDF funding. Despite the small number of business start-ups, there is
significant economic development planning currently underway. The Siksika and Bigstone Cree
First Nations have plans to construct industrial parks to attract new businesses from FNDF.
Others are using FNDF revenues to improve accounting systems, purchase buildings and real
estate, build new and rehabilitate old business structures. Several have utilized the FNDF to
conduct needs assessments and for corporate restructuring. With the exception of the
Alexander First Nation tourist destination project (temporarily deferred), the poor state of
reserve infrastructure means that most economic development plans were for the purpose of
creating sufficient infrastructure, rather than to attract tourism. Tourism is believed to be
something that may be ‘further down the road’.
Infrastructure
Casino Dene cost $11 million to build in 2007; Eagle River cost $54 million in 2008; Grey Eagle
cost $40 million in 2007; River Cree cost $178 million in 2006; and Stoney Nakoda
Entertainment Resort cost $27 million in 2008. This represents a total of $310 million in capital
investment for these First Nations communities. Much of this money originally derived from
the First Nations communities themselves, and thus, does not represent added ‘wealth’ to the
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