By Canadian Press

B.C. provides First Nations with $74-million grant to make up for lost gaming revenue

Apr 21, 2022 | 3:47 PM

VANCOUVER — British Columbia First Nations that have been affected by the pandemic and last year’s wildfires and flooding will receive $74 million in grant money to make up for the loss of shared gaming revenues.

A joint news release from the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and the B.C. First Nations Gaming Revenue Limited Partnership says 2020-21 revenues were about 80 per cent lower than anticipated due to pandemic health measures. 

The statement says the one-time $74-million grant will mitigate the loss of revenues that are crucial to supporting First Nations in funding social services, education, infrastructure, cultural initiatives and economic development.

B.C. reached a 25-year revenue-sharing agreement with First Nations in 2018, with a commitment to share seven per cent of annual net revenues from gaming with Indigenous communities through 2045.

Indigenous Relations Minister Murray Rankin says First Nations need stable funding to support their priorities, and the grant money will help ensure those who were among the hardest hit by the pandemic are not left behind during the recovery.

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Rankin says a “cascading series of challenges” have had dramatic impacts on First Nations. 

“Yes, COVID, but let’s not forget the other pandemic of the opioid overdose crisis, as well as the heat dome, the wildfires, the flooding and the trauma that so many First Nations community members suffered as a result of the findings at residential schools,” he said, referring to the detection of unmarked graves on the grounds of several former institutions in B.C.

Terry Teegee, regional chief of the B.C. Assembly of First Nations, said it’s crucial that First Nations are able to design their own pandemic recovery policies and address their specific community needs.

The grant funding will help First Nations participate in the province’s economic recovery plans on their own terms, he said during a news conference on Thursday. 

First Nations received about $74 million less than expected last year as gaming revenues declined due to the pandemic, the province says. 

From 2019 to 2021, seven per cent of B.C. Lottery Corporation net income amounted to nearly $123 million, it says.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 21, 2022.

The Canadian Press