OHRIA

OHRIA Concerned by OLG’s Continued Expansion

The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) is concerned that the integration of horse racing into the OLG’s Gaming Strategy will be impossible if the existing OLG Modernization Plan continues to go forward. The OLG’s announcement of the RFPQs (Request for Pre-Qualification) for their Southwest Gaming Bundle puts Ontario’s horse racing industry at further risk […]

Woodbine Addresses Toronto City Council Vote

If you weren’t at City Hall on Tuesday, you will likely have heard by now that Toronto City Council voted against expanded gaming at Woodbine Racetrack. In the end, it was a very close vote – 24 to 20, as opposed to the 40-to-4 vote against a downtown casino. Needless to say, we are shocked […]

Toronto Council Denies Expanded Gaming at Woodbine

Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG) is disappointed with Tuesday’s vote by Toronto City Council against expanded gaming at Woodbine, which threatens the province’s entire horse racing industry. Now, WEG is looking forward to working with Premier Wynne, her staff, the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel and the new Acting Chair of the OLG to seek a […]

OLG Board of Directors Resigns After Chair is Fired

Paul Godfrey, chair of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG), has been fired. And, as a result, all seven members of the OLG Board of Directors have resigned. Godfrey, who took on the role as chair of the OLG in 2009, has reinvented the organization, helping it become modern and more efficient, according to […]

OHRIA Encouraged by Moves Toward Sustainability

As reported on May 13th, Ontario’s Premier, Kathleen Wynne, has tasked the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel with producing a draft plan for integrating horse racing into the Ontario gaming strategy by June, and a final plan by October. Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) president, Sue Leslie, recently did an At the Gate podcast […]

Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association Survey

The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) has designed  a survey to gather information with which to present an accurate picture of the personal effect the cancellation of slots at the racetracks (SARP) has had on the horse racing and breeding industry in Ontario. While industry participants may be aware of the devastating effects the OLG’s […]

OHRIA Asks Premier Wynne to Pause OLG’s Modernization Strategy

The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) is calling on Premier Kathleen Wynne to pause the OLG’s modernization process until after the Auditor General releases his report on the decisions surrounding the OLG modernization plan. Today, the Standing Committee on Public Accounts voted to ask the Auditor General to investigate the OLG’s process in determining […]

Still No Financial Details from Wynne

The Ontario horse racing industry received word today that three more tracks – Fort Erie Racetrack, Flamboro Downs and Georgian Downs – had reached deals to host live Thoroughbred racing in 2013, but with the slots at racetracks program set to expire in less than a week, the sustainability question remains. The Ontario Horse Racing […]

Fort Erie Will Host Live Thoroughbred Racing in 2013

The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association has announced that there will, in fact, be live Thoroughbred racing at Fort Erie Racetrack this year. Details will follow in the next couple of days. In a statement, HPBA Ontario president, Sue Leslie, noted: “As our future is largely dependent on customers wagering on our product, it remains […]

NDP and PC Cooperating to Pass Horse Racing Motion

The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association is pleased to announce that the Progressive Conservatives and the New Democratic Party are again working together in the Legislature to support Ontario’s horse racing and breeding industry. OHRIA has been working closely with both parties on MPP Natyshak’s motion that calls for the extension of the Slots at […]

OHRIA Supports NDP Motion to Protect Ontario Horse Racing

Today the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association was pleased to hear NDP MPP Taras Natyshak’s announcement regarding his party’s plan to introduce a motion calling on the   suspension of the OLG’s modernization strategy until municipalities have held referendums in conjunction with the 2014 municipal elections, and the   re-instatement of the Slots at Racetracks Program. “Time […]

PCs: Give Racing First Crack At Buying Existing Slots Operations

On Thursday, December 6th, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative Party Caucus released its anticipated white paper entitled ‘Paths to Prosperity – A New Deal for the Public Sector.’ In the paper, the Ontario PC Caucus states that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.’s ‘empire building’ in the gaming sector should be stopped, and that the province should […]

Liberal Leadership Candidate Releases Rural Platform

Liberal leadership candidate Dr. Eric Hoskins released his rural platform in his hometown of Simcoe in southwestern Ontario. The plan emphasizes the need for the Ontario Liberal Party to re-connect with and listen to rural Ontarians to regain their trust and provide rural communities with greater economic opportunity. “For Ontario to be successful, we need […]

Sue Leslie Responds to Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel’s Final Report

Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association president, Sue Leslie, was Norm Borg’s guest, on November 1st, for a special edition podcast of At the Gate, Racing at the Crossroads. Leslie expressed her thoughts and concerns on the recent release of the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel’s final report. First and foremost, regarding the Sustainable Horse Racing […]

Panel Releases Final Report on the Ontario Horse Racing Industry

The Honourable Ted McMeekin today released the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel report containing the final recommendations for a new partnership between the government and the horse racing industry in Ontario. While the Panel’s new Sustainable Horse Racing Model leaves many questions unanswered, OHRIA believes this is an opportunity for the industry to commence meaningful […]