Great Canadian Reopens Halifax and Sydney Properties

Great Canadian Gaming Corporation’s Halifax and Sydney properties were closed since April this year due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the operator revealed that it reopened both properties on Wednesday this week.

Shut Back in April, GCGC’s Halifax and Sydney Properties Reopen

Great Canadian Gaming Corporation announced on Tuesday that it will reopen its properties in Halifax and Sydney. The announcement came after Nova Scotia’s provincial government allowed businesses to reopen after they were shut down previously to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Back on April 22, the provincial government shut down the company’s Halifax casino. Not even a week later, Great Canadian’s Sydney property was also closed.

This week, once the provincial government allowed the reopening of casinos, GCGC reopened its two properties for visitors on Wednesday. Although the two venues welcome visitors, they must follow social distancing requirements. Furthermore, wearing a mask on the casino floor is mandatory, while video lottery terminals operate under a 50% capacity cap. Last but not least, GCGC’s Halifax and Sydney properties have limited food and beverage services and their working hours are limited until midnight.

GCGC Is Excited to Reopen Its Properties

In a statement, Terrance Doyle, interim CEO at GCGC revealed that the company is incredibly excited to reopen both properties. Furthermore, he deemed the return to business as an important development and said that this is the first step toward resuming the company’s operations in British Columbia and Ontario. Doyle acknowledged that GCGC is excited to welcome back its employees and guests. Last but not least, he deemed the reopening as a result of the successful vaccination program of the country.

“We are excited to reopen both of our Casino Nova Scotia properties, call our team members back to work, and welcome back our guests.”

Terrance Doyle, GCGC Interim CEO

Undoubtedly, GCGC has felt the impact of the pandemic. The company’s British Columbia casinos were closed back in March 2020, and are yet to reopen. With that in mind, the recent reopening of the company’s properties does sound promising, considering that Canada continues its vaccination against COVID-19. According to the COVID-19 Vaccination Data Tracker info, as of Thursday this week, 65% of the Canadian population has received at least one vaccine dose. On the other hand, 15% or some 6 million Canadians have already been fully vaccinated.