By CHRISTOPHER FOULDS Kamloopsthisweek Aug 12 2007
Ever wonder how your local casino is doing? Ever wonder if the Lake City Casino on Victoria Street is doing a good job with its security? Perhaps you have pondered how it handles its cash transactions in the cages, or whether the slot machines at the casino are up to snuff? Well, that’s where the provincial government comes in, with its transparent auditing system that lets gamblers know they are being treated fairly. In fact, these audits are so transparent that the Liberals have posted them online for all to see in this free democracy in which we live. The audit of the Lake City Casino, for examples, occupies six pages online. It was completed by the province’s gaming policy and enforcement branch between Aug. 1, 2004 and Aug. 31, 2005.
The audit’s executive summary states that the purpose of the probe is to “verify compliance with the Gaming Control Act, regulation and all applicable standards, policies and directives.” The scope of the audit, according to the executive summary, included a review of all gaming operations for a full gaming cycle, with a review for one year of the casino’s vault, table games, slot machines, surveillance operation and security operation. So, how did your downtown Kamloops casino perform? Good question. The answer? We have no idea. In what could surely be fodder for a Monty Python skit, the audit is blank. Every bit of information, save for some miniscule puffery about signage, is blacked out, pursuant to sections 15 and 17 of the provincial Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This from a government that, while campaigning in 2001 to unseat the NDP, vowed to bring in the “most open, accountable and democratic government in Canada.” In the six years since, the Grits have amended the Freedom of Information (FOI) and Protection of Privacy Act no less than six times — and if you think these changes made for more open government, just try to file a request relating to BC Ferries or VANOC, the 2010 Winter Olympic Games organizing committee.
As for the casino audit, the only information on the allegedly publicly released audit is the tiny section on responsible gaming, where it was noted the Victoria Street gambling house had “insufficient responsible and/or problem gambling material at this site in high traffic areas.”
As for findings about the cage (where cash transactions occur) — censored.
As for findings about slot machines — censored.
As for findings about security — censored.
As for findings about surveillance — censored.
As for findings about table games, such as blackjack — censored.
So, the obvious questions is: Why bother posting these audits if they contain no information?
What’s the point? I posed this question to the communications department in the Ministry of the Solicitor General, which oversees gambling in B.C. It turns out posting blank documents is a proactive move by the Campbell Liberals. The first FOI commissioner, David Flaherty, suggested posting such documents as they were frequently being requested in FOI applications. Of course, what gets excised is not the fault of the bureaucrats who post the material, for they are simply following the legislation as set by the politicians we send to Victoria. And the FOI legislation, as anyone who has read the tome knows, can make a case for excluding essentially anything. In this case, the information was deemed classified as its disclosure would allegedly prove “harmful to law enforcement” and prove “harmful to the financial or economic interests of a public body,” never mind the fact the latter is being applied to a public body that has a monopoly on the specific business. So, there you have it. The provincial government is being proactive in providing no information on audits that are being done to ensure Joe Sixpack has confidence in the non-information being released.
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http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/gaming/access-to-information/audits.htm
http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/gaming/access-to-information/docs/audit-casino-06-07-comm200.pdf (Kamloops audit 2007)
http://www.pssg.gov.bc.ca/gaming/access-to-information/docs/audit-casino-05-06-comm150.pdf (Vernon audit 2006)
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Don Quixote Note: FOI Request (Freedom of information ) NEW UPDATE May 31
I have a FOI request for : The Revenue Agreement signed by the City of Penticton, Lake City Casinos, the BC Lottery Corp (BCLC) and the provincial Government in the summer of 2006 re the South Okanagan Centre. Last I heard was two weeks ago that it was in final sign off at the Ministry of the Solicitor General. (Over 2 months late).
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