In 2018, the City of Toronto signed a community benefits agreement (CBA) with One Toronto Gaming, which operates Casino Woodbine in the Rexdale area of Toronto and is part of a multi-year proposed development project that includes expansion at the casino, two hotels, several restaurants and retail stores, a 4,200-seat event venue, and a 5,000 square foot on-site training centre.
The Rexdale-Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement (Rexdale CBA) was driven by community and City of Toronto efforts to mitigate the negative effects of expanded gaming and to leverage opportunities to benefit the Rexdale community and equity-deserving groups across Toronto.
The Rexdale CBA requires One Toronto Gaming to achieve a range of social and economic outcomes, including local and social hiring for casino operations and construction-related employment, local and social procurement, responsible gambling measures, a childcare centre, and community access to the event venue.
The Rexdale CBA is one of several community benefits initiatives included in the Community Benefits Framework adopted by City Council in 2019. For more information on the City of Toronto’s approach to community benefits or the Community Benefits Framework, please visit the Community Benefits Framework webpage.
Adopted by City Council in 2019, the Community Benefits Framework – City of Toronto guides City divisions, agencies and corporations on how to include community benefits that promote inclusive economic development in City projects and initiatives. For example, securing clauses for training, employment and business opportunities intended to reach Indigenous, Black and equity-deserving communities and/or local communities, into City infrastructure projects.
The Community Benefits Framework was developed in consultation with a wide range of community and stakeholder groups, City partners, and informed by extensive research, jurisdictional comparisons, and key informant interviews across North America.
The cornerstone of the City of Toronto’s Community Benefits Framework approach is the use of City agreements to secure and enforce the implementation of community benefits hard targets. The Rexdale CBA is one of the City’s current community benefits initiatives, and the City’s only stand-alone community benefits agreement (CBA); all other community benefits initiatives have been secured by embedding community benefits clauses in City agreements such as procured service agreements or lease agreements, and enforced through the City’s authority that is already built into those agreements.
For full details of the terms and conditions of the agreement review the Rexdale Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement.
Download the Rexdale Casino Woodbine CBA Infographic for a visual summary of the requirements and targets of the Rexdale CBA.
For the progress of targets and achievements, refer to the following section, Rexdale CBA Targets and Achievements.
The summary table below presents an overview of key targets and achievements, up to December 31, 2021*. The data points are updated once annually, in alignment with the delivery of the annual progress report from One Toronto Gaming.
*The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted progress on many of the targets and requirements of the Rexdale-Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement. Where necessary, the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are listed in the summary chart below.
| Requirement | Summary | Achievements To Date |
|---|---|---|
| Child Care Centre | Contribute $5 million to create a child care centre that will benefit Casino Woodbine employees and local residents. | One Toronto Gaming provided the $5 million contribution in 2018. The City’s Children’s Services Division is identifying a potential location for the new child care centre. |
| International Marketing Plan for the Woodbine Entertainment Complex | Develop and implement an International Marketing Plan by January 1, 2022. | One Toronto Gaming delivered a preliminary plan in 2018.
Given the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, the City and One Toronto Gaming mutually agreed to extend the deadline for the International Marketing Plan to March 31, 2023. |
| Employment and Labour Market Plan | Develop a 20-year Employment and Labour Market Plan and implement by January 2019. | One Toronto Gaming developed the Employment and Labour Market Plan in 2018 and implementation is underway. |
| Local and Social Hiring | 40 percent of new hires will be through Local or Social hiring, with a minimum of 20 percent through local hiring (Total number of projected hires = 4,600).
Prioritize youth hiring, particularly youth who identify as a member of an Equity-Seeking Group 40 percent of total employees have full-time employment in first two years of Expanded Gaming 50 percent of total employees have full-time employment after two years of Expanded Gaming. |
Total of 1,689 new hires since One Toronto Gaming took over operations of Casino Woodbine in 2018.
Of the 1,689 new hires since 2018: 48 percent (816 individuals) self-identified as a social hire. Of these, 27 percent (219 individuals) self-identified as youth. Of the 1,689 new hires since 2018, 11 percent (186 individuals) were local hires. Prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, 56 percent of Casino Woodbine employees were full-time and 44 percent were part-time. As of December 31, 2021 Casino Woodbine had 937 active employees, 75 percent of which were working full-time. |
| Construction Hiring | By 2022, at least 10 percent of overall hours worked by trades or craftspeople will be apprentices or journeypersons hired through local or social hiring.
Prioritize youth hiring, particularly for youth who identify as a member of an Equity-Deserving Group |
A total of 1,426 people have worked on the Casino Woodbine expansion since construction began in 2018.
Of the 1,426 people employed on the construction site since 2018, 1.3 percent (19 individuals) self-identified as a local hire. Of the 1,426 people employed on the construction site since 2018: 27 percent (380 individuals) self-identified as a social hire. Of these, 58 percent (221) individuals self-identified as a youth. |
| Supply Chain Diversity: Local and Social Procurement | Develop a Supply Chain Diversity Policy and Procedures for non-construction procurement.Commencing in 2019, at least 10 percent of annual procurement will be through local or diverse suppliers (construction and specialized gaming procurement is exempt from the target). | One Toronto Gaming developed Supply Chain Diversity Policy and Procedures in 2019.The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted progress, given impacts on spending and delays to the redevelopment timeline. In 2021, One Toronto Gaming spent $67 million across 17 local suppliers. One Toronto Gaming did not report procurement through diverse suppliers in 2021.It is not currently possible to track and report on One Toronto Gaming’s progress towards the 10 percent supply chain diversity target. One Toronto Gaming will establish a denominator once the redevelopment nears completion to allow for progress towards the 10 percent target to be measured. |
| Labour Peace | Respect the role of organized labour, comply with contractual and statutory labour obligations. | No reports of failing to respect the role of unions or comply with contractual or statutory labour obligations have been received by the City or the Community Steering Committee. |
| Community Access to Space | Develop Community Access to Space Policy and Procedures.
Make Entertainment Venue space available to local community at little or no cost for at least one large-scale event per month, or 12 large-scale events per calendar year. |
One Toronto Gaming estimates that the Entertainment Venue will be complete in Q2 of 2023.
Community Access to Space Policy and Procedures will be developed in 2022. |
| Responsible Gambling Measures | Maintain all Responsible Gambling Measures at Casino Woodbine. | All Responsible Gambling measures are being met at Casino Woodbine. |
| Negative Impacts of Expanded Gaming | Identify any negative impacts of expanded gaming and implement mitigation measures. | One Toronto Gaming, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, the Responsible Gambling Oversight Committee, and the City of Toronto continue to collaborate to identify risk mitigation approaches, understand player needs, and engage community partners. |
| Monitoring and Reporting | Report on requirements of the Agreement on a quarterly and annual basis. | One Toronto Gaming continues to provide all required quarterly reports. The 2021 Annual Report was submitted to the City on January 31, 2022. |
One Toronto Gaming is required to submit an annual report on its progress towards the requirements outlined in the Rexdale CBA. City staff submit an annual progress report to City Council based on the data contained in One Toronto Gaming’s annual report.
2021 Progress Reports:
2020 Progress Reports:
2019 Progress Reports:
The Rexdale-Casino Woodbine Community Benefits Agreement accountability structure consists of three oversight bodies that are responsible for the accountability, transparency, and delivery of the targets and requirements. They are:
Community voices are represented in the accountability structure through both local residents and local community agencies. The Community Steering Committee includes two local resident representatives, who were selected through Neighbourhood Planning Tables in 2018 (Kingsview Village-The Westway and North Etobicoke Residents Council). Local residents and communities can submit input and feedback through individual and agency representatives on the various committees.
The boundary of the Woodbine Local Area is: Steeles Ave to the North, Kipling to the East, Dixon Road to the South and Highway 27 to the West. It is approximately a seven-kilometre radius and it is comprised of the following four postal codes: M9P, M9V, M9R, and M9W. These postal codes capture four Neighbourhood Improvement Areas: Mount Olive-Silverstone-Jamestown, Elms-Old Rexdale, Kingsview Village-The Westway, and Thistletown-Beaumond Heights, as well as the communities of Rexdale-Kipling, and West Humber-Clairville.
One Toronto Gaming is required to ensure that at least 40 percent of new operational hires are through local or social hiring. These positions include gaming, casino operations, and once the expansion is operational in late 2022, hospitality, food and beverage. At least 10 per cent of total construction hours (apprentices and journeypersons) will be hired through local and social hiring.
The City is working with One Toronto Gaming to ensure that local job seekers in Rexdale and Indigenous, Black, and equity-deserving communities are prepared to compete for and be successful in jobs at Casino Woodbine.
The first phase of the redevelopment of Casino Woodbine is anticipated to be complete by late 2022. Additional information on career opportunities as a result of the expansion will be posted when available.
If you are ready to work and would like to apply for jobs at Casino Woodbine, please visit casinowoodbine.com/careers.