Ontario Premier Doug Ford unveiled a multibillion-dollar strategy Monday to transform Niagara Falls into an international tourism hub, calling for multiple new casinos and a major theme park in what his government dubs “Vegas of the North.”
The Destination Niagara Strategy targets doubling annual visitors from 13 million to 25 million and generating an additional $3 billion for Ontario’s GDP each year.
“We want to double the number of visitors who come to Niagara every year, and we want to double the amount of time they spend in Niagara,” Ford said at the launch event with Niagara Falls Mayor Jim Diodati.
The province seeks to attract major Las Vegas casino operators to build billion-dollar entertainment complexes featuring hotels, cinemas, and live theaters. Ford issued a direct challenge to American gambling companies.
“All the big casinos in Las Vegas — we’re serious,” Ford said. “It’s happening. Get on board. Come and put a proposal in.”
The announcement escalates tensions with Connecticut-based Mohegan Gaming and Entertainment, which operates the region’s two existing casinos — Fallsview Casino and Casino Niagara — under a revenue-share agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming that runs until 2040.
Ford criticized Mohegan’s pace in negotiations that have stretched nearly two years.
“Enough’s enough,” he said. “We’re moving with you or without you.”
The 44-page strategy outlines plans beyond casinos. The government proposes converting the historic Toronto Power Generating Station into a five-star hotel and building a large-scale observation wheel comparable to structures in London and Las Vegas.
Infrastructure improvements include expanding Niagara District Airport into an international commercial hub, widening the Queen Elizabeth Way highway, and increasing GO Transit train service from Toronto.
Tourism Minister Stan Cho emphasized broader economic goals for the region, which include Niagara-on-the-Lake’s Shaw Festival and emerging wine tourism.
“We are protecting Niagara’s globally recognized tourism sector and unlocking the region’s enormous potential as an economic engine of the province,” Cho said in a statement.
The government expects major private sector interest to drive the plan. Officials indicated that proposals will determine what provincial partnership funding, if any, the projects receive.
The premier’s office clarified that the strategy represents a statement of intent, with future implementation phases to follow.
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