Media Awareness Campaign Launched in January

It was time to launch a media and political awareness campaign after being told that it was likely that the SWRC was being targeted for a solar farm by more than one group.  In addition, there were other groups seeking to purchase the property and demolish all the buildings for their scrap value. I simply didn't want to see this property sold before the Drummond Report was release because there was signals coming from the Ontario Government and OLG that the moritorium on resort casino's would soon be lifted to facilitate opening a casino in Toronto.  

Disappointed over lack of Dealtown casino support

Disappointed over lack of Dealtown casino support Posted 2 months ago Sir: There are three types of people in this world; those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened. Well the "wonder what happened" group can bask in the sun and rejoice because support for the Dealtown Casino Hotel and Retirement Village has not materialized. The watchers watched and the wonderers wondered while I attempted to make things happen. Apparently, Chatham-Kent doesn't need the 1,500 full-time good-paying direct jobs or the construction and indirect jobs also estimated at upwards of 1-500. Apparently, local merchants and suppliers won't miss the millions of dollars that casino and resort employees, and the thousands of tourists would spend. I am not one to throw in the towel, but a one-man band does not play loud enough to be heard in this Municipality. Maybe I've spent too much time living in cities that get fired up when opportunity come walking in. Cleveland sure jumped on the casino bandwagon with their Horseshoe Casino when 11,800 applied for the first 500 dealer and supervisor positions. The table games staff will be the largest single staff at that new casino, accounting for roughly a third of the casino's 1,500 positions. Maybe the 100 jobs at Navistar will materialize, and maybe not. Maybe, that 900,000 square-foot complex will find another use, and maybe not. One thing is for sure Chatham needs more of those folks who make things happen. I'm disappointed, yes. But have I given up? No.   Brian Keenan Merlin

Follow-up Letter to Chatham Daily News that was not published...

To:      Chatham Daily News-  Sent the same day as my first letter was published under the heading "Reader Suggests Casino For SWRC Property" From:  Brian Keenan              Date:   Friday, November 04, 2011 Re:      YOU WANT JOBS? Letter to the Editor #2 There is a whole lot of “downtown development” going on and “YES” it is good for Chatham but who is going to occupy this residential, retail and office space?  The answer is simple, people and business’ from somewhere else in our community.  In other words, this development is just shuffling the deck but not adding new cards to it. Did the Capital Theater generate new jobs?  No! Did it attract new businesses to Chatham? No!  Will the new downtown residences bring new people to Chatham or just move them around?  Will all the new office space and hotel facilities bring new business’ to town or just create vacancy signs in other parts of town? I recently returned to Chatham after 40 years of living and working in places like, Toronto, Mississauga, Chicago, Tokyo, San Diego and Las Vegas.  The first thing I noticed was that the city had not grown, the downtown was dead, the factories were vacant and the high school graduates were leaving for university or collage somewhere else, never to return to Chatham because there are no NEW jobs. Yes, other cities in Ontario have suffered as well but does that mean nothing could be done? NO!  Our local leaders, and I don’t just mean the people at city hall, could and should, have done more.  When the automotive related jobs left Chatham did the leaders over the years do everything they could have to keep and bring new agriculture plants to Chatham Kent? NO, they even let that golden goose get away despite the fact that we are in the heart of Canada’s agriculture heartland.  O’ yes, our agriculture community does bring jobs to Southwestern Ontario, from Mexico, from Jamaica and from who-knows-where! Yes, the wind and solar energy development throughout Chatham-Kent has brought temporary jobs to our area although many of those are also from out-of-town or not permanent in nature.  Did we get any of the mega-plants that are bringing jobs to other cities in southern Ontario? NO! The problem is we think that City Hall is responsible for bringing these opportunities to town.  Yes, they have a big role in these the job creation and business retention initiatives but so do our other city leaders. A couple of our local business leaders and you know who they are, have invested their hard earned money into the downtown development initiative, as has an out-of-towner visionary more recently.  Why, because they see the opportunity and the potential for profit.  Thank God for capitalism! Can we all do more?  YES!  Do we need to be millionaires to be part of every solution? NO!  What we need to do, and that includes the small players like me and you, is to start using our combined brain power to make things happen.  I know what this means because in my 40 years away from Chatham, I made and lost millions of dollars as the founder and champion of many new ideas, like the International Computer Orphanage, like Bekeen Disaster Recovery, like Canada Computer, like SignCast and the list goes on. Recently I decided to become the “born again” visionary and entrepreneur that I once was. The creators of the once popular nationally syndicated Global Television series, Everybody’s Business, Kenneth Barnes and Everett Banning, once labeled me a visionary in their book “Money Makers! The Secrets of Canada’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs.”  These authors rightfully labeled me a visionary in their book.  They said that “Visionaries are sometimes, idealist; often they seem impractical, even a bit eccentric, as they push and pull the marketplace far beyond its present bounds.”  It’s been a while since that book was published and several ventures from the one that sparked their interest to write about me in that book.  In some ways I kind of wished my visionary days were behind me, but I guess it must be in my blood because I can’t stop coming up with these crazy or not so crazy ideas. I need to make a living and survive in these tough economic times, like everyone else.  I hope that selling real estate will cover that base!  But I owe it to myself, to my family, to my friend in Chatham, to use my many talents and vast experience to help bring NEW jobs to Chatham Kent.  To kick start this creativity, I have appointed myself the Chairman of the Dealtown Casino and Retirement Village initiative. Yes, I think the Southwestern Regional Centre is the perfect place to be transformed into a casino and retirement village.  Think about it; it’s already built and less money than what was thrown at the Capital Theater could kick start this initiative.  Think about it; the old regional center provided 600 full time jobs because it ran 24 by 7, 365 days of the year, just like a casino would.  The 235 acre property and 650,000 sq ft of buildings is already built and it is perfectly located to draw people from Kitchener to Kingsville.  Add a spacious RV park on the property and you will draw folks from all over to this waterfront oasis. I could go on and on as to why this is a great opportunity for Chatham Kent but this is not the place.  What I do ask is that you voice your opinion on this initiative and ask yourself if Chatham Kent could use 600 to 1000 new jobs, jobs that will bring our kids back home, jobs that will be created to support this facility, jobs that could replace those lost at Navistar, jobs that can fill those new condos and offices in downtown Chatham.  I need your help and support to make this happen and I need it now. -       30   -

The Beginning of the Dealtown Casino Initiative (DCI)

Why I started the Dealtown Casino Initiative (DCI) On October 23, 2011 I had a "Wakeup Call" and sent the following comment to the Editor of the Chatham Daily News.  It was subsequently published as a letter to the editor.  This was the starting point of my DCI campaign.   Letter to the Editor Are you sick and tired of being sick and tired of the way thing are going for you personally, for your family and friends, for the millions of unemployed in Canada and for whatever other cause you can think of?   Well, I am also and I’ve had it with this down and out felling!  This is the day that I become the born again visionary and entrepreneur that I once was. The creators of the once popular nationally syndicated Global Television series, Everybody’s Business, Kenneth Barnes and Everett Banning, once labeled me  a visionary in their book “Money Makers! The Secrets of Canada’s Most Successful Entrepreneurs.”   After many years and numerous leading edge business ventures, I returned to my roots, Chatham, Ontario where I was born and raised until my early twenties when I set out to make my fortunes.  Newly married in 2006 to the love of my life, Jo Ann, and living in Las Vegas where every day is exciting, I fell victim to a mild stroke.  Fortunately, I was later diagnosed as having Parkinson which in comparison is a blessing.  Nevertheless, health care in the US is a financial nightmare and in 2007 it drove me back Chatham, both sick and broke.   After a year of feeling sorry for myself, I decided to get off my butt and do something that everyone kept telling me I would be good at, namely selling real estate. It took nearly a year to get licensed but finally I got my ticket and was asked to join Chatham-Kent’s leading brokerage, Royal LePage Peifer Realty. I went from rookie to the top ten in three years and that brings us to today, give or take a whole lot in-between.   The authors of Money Makers rightfully labeled me a visionary in their book.  They said that “Visionaries are sometimes, idealist; often they seem impractical, even a bit eccentric, as they push and pull the marketplace far beyond its present bounds.”  It’s been a while since that book was published and several ventures from the one that sparked their interest to write about me in that book.  In some ways I kind of wished my visionary days were behind me, but I guess it must be in my blood because I can’t stop coming up with these crazy or not so crazy ideas.   I live on Talbot Trail just west of the hamlet of Dealtown, so appropriately named.  Every day I pass by a 300 acre facility, commonly referred to as the Southwestern Regional Centre.  Opened in 1961 this provincially operated facility housed developmentally disabled adults in an institutional setting. Originally designed to accommodate children under 10 years old it was the last massive institution built in Ontario for the treatment of the mentally disabled. In 1966 there was a resident population of 1,200 and a staff of 600. By 1979 the resident population had been reduced to 620 as changes in policy emphasized the use of smaller home like facilities. Later the centre shifted to serving adults and senior citizens.  The facility closed in 2008 following the government's decision to move from institutional based services to a community based approach.   Since closing, the facility and park-like property has fallen victim to neglect, vandalism and weather.  I call it a “crying shame” and a good example of how the government of Ontario under all leadership waists money.  There were rumors over the past few years that the facility would be brought back to life as a correctional institution, a seniors retirement centre and even a theme park but nothing ever came of these ideas.   Remember where I lived before returning to Chatham? Yes, I lived for half a dozen years in “Sin City” Las Vegas where there are more casinos than any other city in the world.  So it was only natural for me to think that the best use of the closed Southwestern Regional Centre was for a casino.  Add to that a seniors housing facility and a RV park and the old lady has a new face.  Where better to locate Chatham-Kent’s first and only casino, but in “Dealtown!”  You don’t need to be a rocket scientist or even a visionary to arrive at this conclusion.   I discussed my idea of a Dealtown Casino with some forward thinking Chathamites  who like the idea but say the government would never support such a venture because it made too much sense!  Why would the government want to support an initiative that would, could and will bring 600 to 1000 full and part time jobs to a municipality with 14% unemployment?  Why would the government want to stimulate the economy of Chatham-Kent which just lost its biggest employer; especially after they spent millions of dollars of  tax payer money in a failed attempt to keep it alive.   I have never been one to walk away from an idea when people said it couldn’t be done.  If no one else will carry the flag or should I say “Roll the Dice”, I certainly will! With that said, I have named myself the Chairman of the Dealtown Casino Initiative (DCI) and will gladly invest my valuable time to bring this idea to life in our community.  Please share your thoughts with me on this initiative.