Ontario township earns $5.5 million over 5 years for municipal casino support

Scugog Township will receive more than $5.5 million in payments over the next five years as its share of revenue from Great Bue Heron Casino operations, thanks to lobbying efforts at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association and support from Tourism, Culture and Gaming Minister Stan Cho.

The official host city payments handed out each quarter from Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) for Great Blue Heron Casino is awarded to Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation, where the casino is located.

But municipal serves provided by the township also benefit casino operation so Scugog Township also gets a share, as per a Municipal Service Agreement between OLG and the township. In 2025, Scugog received $1.106 million in funding, with $1.13 million expected next year.

“Through diligent work with our delegation at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association annual conference earlier this year and the support of Minister Stan Cho, as well as some early discussions with staff at OLG, we have managed to secure a further five years of municipal service funding at a rate of $1.1 million per year, indexed for inflation,” said Scugog CAO Warren Mar, adding the funding helps with operational and capital costs.

The recommendation report is expected to be ratified on June 22.

The host sites for Durham Region’s three casinos cashed in more than $4.6 million in fourth quarter earnings last month, with the City of Pickering raking in nearly $3.4 million of that for hosting Pickering Casino Resort – the biggest of the three by a considerable margin.

Mississaugas of Scugog Island earned $577,685 in the fourth quarter and more than $2.5 million in the 2025/26 fiscal year for hosting Great Blue Heron Casino.

Since the casino opened in May 2000 the First Nation has received $38,756,356.