Item - 2022.EX31.15

The Executive Committee:

1. Received the report (March 16, 2022) from the Executive Director, Social Development, Finance and Administration for information.

This report provides a status update on the implementation of the Rexdale-Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement.

Adopted by City Council in 2018 as a condition of expanded gaming at the Woodbine Racetrack site, the Rexdale-Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement established a range of community benefits requirements that One Toronto Gaming must fulfill.

While significant progress towards meeting the requirements of the Community Benefits Agreement has been made since 2018, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted progress on nearly all of the targets and requirements of the Agreement. As of December 31, 2021, highlights of progress to date include:

- Local and Social Hiring[1] (Operations) – Of the 1,689 new hires since 2018, 48 percent self-identified as a social hire and 11 percent were local hires; the required target for local hires has not yet been met.

- Full-Time Employment – Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 56 percent of Casino Woodbine employees were full-time and 44 percent were part-time. Of the 937 active team members as of December 31, 2021, 75 percent were full-time.

- Local and Social Hiring (Construction) – Of the 1,426 people employed on the construction site since 2018, 27 percent self-identified as a social hire and 1.3 percent self-identified as a local hire.

- Supply Chain Diversity – In 2021, One Toronto Gaming spent $67 million across 17 local suppliers and reported no spend via diverse suppliers. A mechanism to track progress against the 10 percent target has not yet been established.

- Responsible Gambling – All Responsible Gambling measures are being met at Casino Woodbine following its reopening in July 2021.

This report provides an update on:

- One Toronto Gaming's progress on achieving each of the targets and requirements of the Rexdale-Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement;

- Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation's efforts in advancing Responsible Gambling;

- The updated estimated timeline for the completion of the first phase of the Casino Woodbine redevelopment project;

- Efforts to maximize employment opportunities on the construction site for local and social hires;

- The extension of the deadline for the International Marketing Plan from January 1, 2022 to March 31, 2023 given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic;

- The ongoing efforts to identify a suitable location for a child care centre;

- The City of Toronto's share of gaming revenues for 2021; and

- The acquisition of Great Canadian Gaming Corporation by Apollo Global Management Inc.

While 2021 was a challenging year for the Rexdale-Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement, it also represented a year of opportunity with Casino Woodbine reopening in July following prolonged government-mandated closures - and with new employment and procurement opportunities on the horizon given the expected completion of the first phase of redevelopment in late 2022. One Toronto Gaming, the City, and the Community Steering Committee remain committed to ensuring that the Rexdale-Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement supports Toronto's recovery efforts, and more specifically the recovery efforts in Rexdale.

 
[1] Local Hiring is defined as the hiring of people who live in the Woodbine Local Area. Social Hiring is defined as the hiring of people who self-identify with an Equity-seeking group or people who face unique barriers to employment, including Ontario Works clients.