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 […]
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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 […]
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 […]
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 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 […]
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 […]
The Ontario government has signed agreements for transition funding with 12 racetracks for the 2013-2014 racing season. This funding is intended to bridge the gap between revenue lost by the ending of the Slots-At-Racetrack Program and operating costs while the industry transitions. 2013-2014 Woodbine Entertainment Group, on behalf of Woodbine and Mohawk Racetracks – $ […]
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 […]
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 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 has asked the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel to bring forward a long-term plan to implement recommendations from its final report. As transition funding negotiations with track operators are now substantially complete, the province has asked the panel for a plan that sets a clear path forward on: • modernizing the governance and regulation […]
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 […]
The Ontario Legislature passed a motion to continue the Slots at Racetracks Program beyond the cancellation deadline imposed by the Liberals. In addition, the motion called for the suspension of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s gaming modernization plan until municipal referendums can be held in 2014. The motion, put forward by Essex MPP Tara Natyshak, received […]
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 […]
The slow-motion train wreck known as OLG “modernization” continues to pick up steam and claim victims. One year ago, the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation (OLG) announced plans for a radical expansion of gambling operations in the province, in partnership with private interests. No longer would the OLG consider local economic development when locating their […]
