A Las Vegas gambling giant is being warned to stop using the name of the Canadian National Exhibition and the likeness of the distinctive Princes' Gates to promote a casino they want to build at Exhibition Place.
In a letter sent to MGM Resorts International and Cadillac Fairview Tuesday, the Canadian National Exhibition Association threatened legal action should the companies continue the “unauthorized use of the official marks and images” of the organization while promoting their proposed casino.
The letter comes in the wake of MGM unveiling their vision for a proposed 3,000,000-square-foot resort and complex at Exhibition Place last week and a subsequent promotional campaign over the weekend that saw two-page advertisements placed in each of the city’s daily newspapers.
Those advertisements included the trademarked image of the Princes' Gates and the letters CNE.
“It concerns the CNEA that the unauthorized use of its images and official marks will mislead the public into the mistaken belief that the CNEA is actually a part of your proposal or that, at a minimum, the CNEA supports the proposal,” the letter states.
“Therefore, the CNEA demands that MGM/Cadillac Fairview cease and desist in the unauthorized use of the official marks and images of the Canadian National Exhibition Association. In future, we also demand that you specifically disclaim any endorsement by the CNEA of your proposal and that any future public statement on your part clearly indicates that there is no affiliation between the CNEA and MGM/Cadillac Fairview, whether explicit or implied.”
During a press conference to unveil their vision for the casino last Wednesday, officials with MGM spoke about the importance of building a partnership with the CNE and promised to sign on as a long-term sponsor and help build a “modernized” exhibition site called "Festival Plaza” as part of their casino development.
In the letter, the CNEA called those comments misleading.
“At our last meeting and in your subsequent communication, no specific offer was made by you and there was certainly never any question of our accepting an offer from you,” the letter states. “To imply otherwise is misleading on your part.”
In a release issued in response Tuesday after, MGM Resorts International and Cadillac Fairview said that they would “carefully review [the letter’s] contents and respond if necessary.”
“We have consistently stated that our vision for an integrated resort on Exhibition Place is subject to the city’s approval, and if such approval is granted, we will work with all the stakeholders to preserve and enhance the existing uses,” the release adds.
Vote delayed
Meanwhile, it appears Torontonians will have to wait a little bit longer to find out whether a casino will be setting up shop in the city.
According to City of Toronto spokesperson Jackie DeSouza, a staff report on a potential casino has been delayed and will not be presented to executive committee on March 20 as originally planned.
As a result, the matter will not be able to go to council for a vote during its April 3-4 meeting.
It remains to be determined when that vote will be conducted.
Mayor Rob Ford could call a special meeting on the issue once the staff report is available or add the matter to the agenda for council’s next meeting on May 7-8.
If council approves building a casino, a second vote would likely be conducted on the actual proposal once the details are jointly determined by the OLG and the city.
Last week Coun. Adam Vaughan criticized pro-casino members of council for touting the potential benefits of the idea, saying that by approving a casino outright the city would be removing itself from the discussion and could see many of the anticipated benefits disappear before its eyes.
“If Toronto council were to say yes to pursuing this opportunity, then OLG would go out with its RFPQ (Request for Pre-Qualification), as we have done in nine other gaming zones, and then move to RFP (Request for Proposal),” Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation spokesperson Tony Bitonti wrote in an email to CP24 Tuesday.
“OLG will then pick the proponent as required by the Criminal Code under the conduct and manage requirement. Then that proponent would need to come back to the city to discuss specifics about the facility, such as picking a specific site, just as would happen for any major development. The municipality has a say in many of the aspects of any major development, including location, how it fits into the community, etc.”
Several groups are reportedly lobbying to build a casino in Toronto, including MGM, Onex, Caesars and Wynn Resorts.
In his email to CP24, Bitonti said the city, OLG and the chosen builder would all be involved in “detailed and specific discussions” on a potential casino should things progress that far.
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