A decision without a public call for tenders for the Games Room

Despite the financial impacts related to the development work and the cost of the rent, which should be several hundred thousand dollars per year, Loto-Québec did not proceed with a public call for tenders to find the new one. site of the Salon de jeux de Québec, in Beauport.

• Read also: A petition wants to challenge the move

Joined by The newspaper, the management of the state-owned company confirmed not to have passed by public roads before signing this contract. She also refuses to provide the exact amount of rent for the Méga Center Beauport, stating that this information is of a commercial nature.

“The reasons for the move are still unclear. The lack of transparency is obvious. The fact that they have chosen not to go through a call for tenders is added to the list of questions to which we still have no answers, ”laments Liberal MP André Fortin.

“Clearly, we can see that this is a political issue. If we have chosen not to proceed by invitation to tender, we must explain the reasons, ”asks the opposition spokesperson for finance.

Talks

Loto-Quebec, however, assures that it has carried out an “exhaustive exercise to identify potential sites within the corridor of approximately 15 kilometers identified by KPMG”. Yesterday it was not possible to find out which addresses were analyzed.

The state-owned company claims to have taken into account the area of ​​the premises, zoning, availability, parking spaces and accessibility during its research. She claims to have had talks with various promoters.

“The chosen site of the Méga Center Beauport offered the best possible agreement in terms of the required investment, operating costs and lease terms, and the best business potential. He was available for the desired opening date and he met all the selection criteria that we had determined, ”replies spokesperson Renaud Dugas.

The latter adds that Loto-Québec had used the same procedure when it chose Fleur de Lys in 2014.

Investigation ?

The Salon de jeux is expected to leave the mall in the fall of 2021. Since 2007, this establishment has cost nearly $ 50 million. The five-year lease with renewal options was signed with Manitoba-based Canada Vie, owned by Power Corporation, among others.

The Autorité des marchés publics (AMP), whose mission is to monitor contracts, did not want to say whether an investigation could be opened or whether verifications could be carried out concerning Loto-Québec’s approach to relocating the Salon. games.

“Loto-Québec is a government enterprise within the meaning of Schedule 3 of the Financial Administration Act. As a result, it is in part subject to the Act respecting contracting by public bodies, ”spokesperson Karine Primard indicated in an email.