SARP

Ontario Horse Racing Industry Status Report

The cancellation of Ontario’s Slots at Racetrack Program (SARP) has necessitated a lengthy and critical review of how the province’s vital horseracing industry might move forward to a future of profitable growth and true self-sustainability. This is, by no means, a simple task or one to be taken lightly. Patchwork “fixes” are not an option […]

Ontario Government Ordered to Produce SARP Cancellation Documents

Last spring, a group of Standardbred breeders from Ontario launched a lawsuit against the province and the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG). The group, made of up breeders from nearly 40 Ontario farms, alleged that when then OLG announced the cancellation of the lucrative Slots at Racetracks Program (SARP) in March 2012, giving only […]

NDP Responds to OHRIA Questions

The NDP responds to the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association questionnaire: 1. Do you agree with this statement and will you support racetracks as sites for expanded gaming centres? Yes, the Ontario NDP agrees that tapping into the potential of racetracks as gaming centres should be a top priority. We have to rely on a […]

Liberal Party Responds to OHRIA Questions

Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Liberal Party respond to the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association questionnaire: Q: In their 2013 report, the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel stated: “…one of the most important aspects of integration: [is] the use of racetracks as gaming centres. Ontario communities support enhanced gaming opportunities at tracks, and new […]

OHRIA Responds to Auditor General Report

The Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association (OHRIA) was not surprised by the findings contained in the Auditor General’s Report on the Ontario Lottery and Gaming’s (OLG’s) Modernization Plan considering the devastation the horse racing and breeding industry has endured since the cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks Program (SARP). “It is troubling when your own […]

Andrea Horwath Says: Horse Racing Plan Can’t Leave Fort Erie in the Dust

New Democrat Leader Andrea Horwath was in Niagara today to attend the last races of the season at Fort Erie Race Track. She was joined by NDP horse racing advocate Taras Natyshak. From a grandstand packed with horse racing fans, Horwath rejected Kathleen Wynne’s view that there’s no future for the Fort Erie Race Track. […]

Ontario Launches Five-Year Plan for Horse Racing Industry

Ontario has released a five-year plan for a sustainable horse racing industry in the province based on the final Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel report. The plan will strengthen the industry and support future growth by: Providing up to $400 million over five years to sustain a wide range of racing opportunities that are supported by strong […]

Horse Racing Industry Job Losses Double that of Blackberry

Rural Ontario knows the pain the Region of Waterloo is feeling as they brace for the massive layoffs Blackberry has recently announced. Since the cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks Program last year, job losses and business closures in Ontario’s horse racing industry are more than double the expected worldwide losses of Blackberry as they […]

OLG to Compensate Racetracks to the Tune of $80.6-million

The province has announced that the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) will give $80.6-million as compensation to those racetracks that invested in their infrastructure by expanding their facilities to make room for the introduction of slots over a decade ago. While the details of the agreements are confidential, it has been reported that Great Canadian […]

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 […]

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 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 […]