Article content

PITTSBURGH — Eugene Melnyk isn’t the least bit pleased with the decision to move the Hard Rock Casino into Rideau Carleton Raceway.

The Ottawa Senators’ owner, who has expressed his desire to have a casino development in Kanata more than once in the last five years, told the Citizen in a statement Tuesday he was caught off guard by the announcement by the OLG to accept a bid for $320 million redevelopment of the racetrack.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Angry Melnyk views Hard Rock casino decision 'very dimly' Back to video

Not only is Melnyk upset he had to find out by a press release that the decision had been made for the raceway to enter into partnership with the Hard Rock group, he doesn’t like the way the work was done by Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson on this file and is determined to find what happened in the process to make this decision.

BACKGROUND: Rideau Carleton Raceway set to become the Hard Rock Casino Ottawa

“We have been informed about this developing situation through a third-party press release,” Melnyk told the Citizen in an email Tuesday. “We were never informed by the Mayor’s office and we have made it clear and very public of our interest in a casino project for some time.