By James Wood

Casino by Vanshaw in negotiations to move to Box Springs

Nov 3, 2017 | 12:43 PM

MEDICINE HAT, ALTA- Medicine Hat’s casino may be headed to the northwest end of the city.

Back in May the casino began making a move out from it’s current location at the Medicine Hat Lodge, announcing a switch to the Southside Events Centre and Squires Pub off Strachan Road. By June, the relocation process had been started with the Alberta Liquor and Gaming Commission.

The move had been the latest development in the stressed relationship between the Lodge and the casino, which came to a head in January of 2017. The Lodge locked the doors of the business over a rent dispute of the lounge space.

In June, Lodge General Manager Raj Lokhande had said he wasn’t happy with the decision. Three years remained on the lease between the casino and it’s current location.

However, a new development has now come to light. In the latest agenda for the Medicine Hat Municipal Planning Commission, a parcel of land in the Box Springs Business Park is mentioned as part of six listed subdivision applications up for renewal.

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One of the items, an 18-acre parcel of land between the Keg and the McDonald’s along the Trans Canada Highway, is linked to a new location for the casino. It is mentioned in a letter sent from Benchmark Geomatics to Erin Onoferychuk, a senior planner with the municipal government on October 12, 2017.

“Because this parcel is adjacent to the Trans Canada Highway there is a lot of interest,” reads a portion of the letter.

“We have finalized negotiations with Vanshaw Casino to move their facility to Box Springs when their lease expires at the (Medicine Hat) Lodge. We are also working with a Multiplex Theatre Company that has shown an interest in locating near the Casino and the Canalta Centre. We need more time to pull these deals together.”

CHAT News reached out to John Hashem, the Director of Box Springs Business Park. He confirmed that the negotiations between Box Springs and the casino are ongoing, with Vanshaw planning to re-locate to the park once their lease at the Medicine Hat Lodge is finished.

He said the casino would likely be in it’s own building in Box Springs.

According to Hashem, the negotiations have been happening for the past year. A final location for the business within the parcel of land along the highway has not yet been confirmed. A final deal between the two parties has also not yet been struck, with no timeline on when that would happen.

Despite the fluid situation, Hashem appeared positive about the prospect of the casino moving up to Box Springs.

“Anything that can be built in the Box Springs area will be a benefit,” said Hashem.

“We wouldn’t be following it up, if we didn’t think it was good for us.”

CHAT News also reached out to casino president Kevin Van Der Kooy for comment on the negotiations. Echoing Hashem, Van Der Kooy confirmed the ongoing process, and stated that a final deal has yet to be determined.

He did not provide any details on how the Box Springs possibility might impact the move to the Southside Events Centre. However, he did say that if the casino was to re-locate to Box Springs, it would be “second to none” and “more than adequate into the future”.

According to Van Der Kooy, the casino would be the same size if moved over to the Box Springs area, and would “grow with the city” as well as the local economy.

When asked, he did not have a clear date for when Vanshaw’s lease with the Lodge expires, and said it was up to the courts to decide.

The Box Springs subdivision applications will be discussed at the next Municipal Planning Commission meeting on November 8, 2017.

-with files from Scott Roblin