It looks like a proposed casino in Estevan is dead.
The Little Pine First Nation is interested in building a casino there but local residents have voting overwhelming against the proposal.
The casino question was on a by-election ballot for a vacant council seat election held yesterday.
More than 1,800 hundred people or 70 per cent voted “no” to having a casino in their community.
Estevan Mayor Roy Ludwig says he is not surprised by the outcome.
“It’s kind of what we had heard before and during the election that a lot of people thought we had enough casinos in the province and they were not interested in having any more,” he says.
The vote is non-binding but it gives council a clear idea on how residents feel about the $30 million proposal.
Mayor Ludwig says there may be more discussions down the road but building a casino in the community appears unlikely.
“So I guess if they ever do come back and they are interested in a business case we will have to look at it again but for now I think the message is pretty clear.”
Little Pine Chief Wayne Semaganis of the Little Pine first nation was not immediately available for comment.
However, in an interview with MBC earlier this month he said he would respect the wishes of Estevan residents on the casino proposal.
Little Pine also has a plan to build a casino in Lloydminster.
Land has been assembled for the project but several hurdles still have to be overcome.
The proposal calls for the casino to be solely operated by Little Pine and outside the jurisdiction of the Saskatchewan Indian Gaming Authority.
Such a move would violate current gaming agreements in the province.