The $220 million quandary

Many questions have come out publicly after Magic Palace was shuttered last year by the Mohawk Council of Kahnawake and the Kahnawake Gaming Commission, after a lengthy La Presse investigation into alleged ties to organized crime.

And here’s the crux of it: Whether you believe Stan Myiow and Barry Alfred knowingly allied themselves with Luftar Hysa in spite of serious questions about criminal ties, or you simply think it’s a ruse, there are other things to consider here that have been pushed aside.

So, let’s put aside the unknowns of the massive $220 million court case of Magic Palace v. Mohawk Council and look a little closer at what the community is concerned about, and what needs to be answered.

First, and this is the biggest outside of who actually pays for this case, is how far along was this massive project that may have gone across the street from Magic Palace, on common land, and why was none of it made public?

What kind of deal would have come out of it?

Casinos have been voted down three times here in Kahnawake and even some of those naysayers are having second thoughts because they want less of the control to be with individuals and more money to go the community; although they certainly don’t trust Council.

So, yes, the two gaming establishments here have given a lot of money to the community, but a lot more would have probably come from a community-run, potentially MCK-owned (which we don’t totally buy into either) casino that rivals and even surpasses Montreal.

Hysa was the money for such operations, and many question where that money came from, that’s obvious.

It’s a classic case of damned if you do, damned if you don’t because this type of money, massive amounts mostly collected from outsider gamblers, would fund many things in town.

There’s also a thing called due process that was called into question by the Magic Palace side, who claim the grand chief himself, Cody Diabo, failed to read the full Spectrum report on Magic Palace, and acted more on recommendations from others (and a PowerPoint) instead of doing his own research mixed with solid professional advice.

Some say, of course, they are glad Magic Palace was shut down and that only locals, if anyone, should benefit from making money on the territory.

But even with those arguments you will get pushback, and the casino issue is a rather thorny one here in town.

Do we need own-source revenue? Of course.

Does the government owe us trillions (plus land) and they have to always be paying back, even if we have our own economic activity? Also true.

But the way to go about it is to make transparency a paramount rule of thumb. Planning a huge project like Magic Palace revealed last week in The Eastern Door was a surprise to many, and the feedback, quite loud and clear, is where was their say in all of this, since we’re a collective and this is everyone’s land and Indigenous rights?

Business in Kahnawake moves at a snail’s pace at the best of times, but this massive, purported project that would have seen people get rich and the community potentially benefit, should not have been hidden from view.

As we always say, tell the truth and be open and transparent because eventually it all comes back around – to bite you in the ass or to applaud your efforts.

But nothing built in this town will be applauded if it’s shrouded in mystery, and until the full truth comes out, with thorns and scraps, and tough questions and investigations to get to the bottom of it all, many questions will remain.

And many people will be upset.

Establishments like these will always stand as targets to outside police agencies and governments because they’re taking money from the average Canadian while making money for Kahnawake.

Ted Staff