Great Canadian CEO resigns after breaking emergency rules

Both Baker and his wife Ekaterina have been charged for violating Yukon’s Civil Emergency Measures Act, having travelled to the community of Beaver Creek just two days after arriving in Whitehorse, Yukon’s capital city.

The journey violated a 14-day self-isolation rule, with the pair then posing as new employees at an area motel to receive the Moderna vaccine. Situated near the Alaska border, Beaver Creek has a population of fewer than 125 people.

Great Canadian announced Baker’s resignation on Monday, adding that Terrance Doyle, the operator’s president for strategic growth and chief compliance officer, will take over the CEO position on a temporary basis. Baker had served as Great Canadian’s CEO since 2011.

The casino firm recently agreed to a CA$2.5 billion (US$2 billion) takeover from Apollo Global Management Inc., whose offer was approved by shareholders in December 2020. The deal still requires regulatory approvals, but is expected to be completed in Q2 2021.

“I am outraged by this selfish behaviour,” said Yukon’s Community Services Minister John Streicker. “We had not been imagining that someone would go to this sort of length to mislead or deceive.”

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Peter Lynch

Journalist

Peter Lynch is a journalist and former Staff Writer for Gambling Insider, where he worked from October 2020 to March 2023. During his tenure, Peter was responsible for writing news articles and feature content that explored major developments across the global gambling and iGaming industries.

He regularly interviewed leading executives and industry figures to bring firsthand perspectives on regulatory changes, commercial strategy and emerging market trends to Gambling Insider’s professional B2B audience.

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