A bid by the Chippewas of Rama to retain a 35-per-cent share of Casino Rama revenues has been dismissed by an Ontario Superior Court judge.

Council confirmed the ruling in a memo, recently delivered to band members’ homes.

The one-page letter suggests council intends to continue pursuing the matter.

“We are very surprised and disappointed with the decision,” Chief Sharon Stinson Henry told Orillia Today. “But we believe we had a solid and well-prepared case, and we will do what we have to to ensure a fair decision for our community.”

Under the original revenue sharing agreement, the band was granted 35 per cent of net gaming revenues in recognition of its obligations and responsibilities as the casino’s host community.

The remaining funds flow to the more than 130 other First Nations communities in the province.

An attempt in 2001 by the Ontario First Nations Chiefs-in-Assembly to strike a new agreement that would award all First Nations communities an equal share led the local band to launch a lawsuit in a bid to retain its 35-per-cent cut.

Justice Arthur Gans, of the Ontario Superior Court, recently dismissed the case – paving the way for other First Nations communities to receive a larger share of the pot.

Stinson Henry said council would review the ruling before deciding the “next course of action.”

“We are considering our options at this time,” she added.

In a Sept. 15 letter to band members, chief and council state that, “there are still many options to proceed that are open for us at this time. We remain confident that we will be able to determine a course of action that will demonstrate our position in this case.”

In a telephone interview, Stinson Henry said her community has made “sacrifices” to accommodate the gaming facility east of Orillia.

“Our main concern has always been to ensure a fair decision to our community, in view of all the work that went into establishing the casino, the responsibility of ensuring it is a successful casino and the sacrifice of hosting a casino,” she said.

The local band also disputes the 20-per-cent “win contribution” that is paid to the province from the casino’s gross revenues.

As the largest employer of First Nations people in Canada, Casino Rama is the only gaming facility currently providing revenues to Ontario’s First Nations communities.