The Ontario horse racing industry association placed full page advertisement in the Toronto Star today (Wednesday March 28, 2012) in response to the Ontario budget announced yesterday, highlighting the government’s misguided plans for OLG and Ontario’s horse racing and breeding industry. The entire Ontario horse racing and breeding industry and more than 60,000 jobs are in jeopardy based on Minister Duncan’s cancellation of the OLG Slots at Racetracks Program.
One proposed deficit reduction measure announced by Finance Minister Dwight Duncan is the cancellation of the successful Slots at Racetrack program. Mr. Duncan says cancelling this program would save taxpayers $345 million each year. However, this is not the case.
“The Slots at Racetrack program may be the best public-private partnership ever entered into by the provincial government,” says Sue Leslie, Chair of the Ontario horse racing industry. The program generates $1.1 billion in profit annually for the Province, with revenue used to fund priority programs such as health care and education. If cancelled, the province’s debt would only increase.
The horse racing and breeding industry would also be severely impacted. The industry employs 60,000 people and contributes over $2 billion in recurring expenditures annually to the provincial economy as well as $261 million in direct taxes and payments to the Province of Ontario. Add these amounts to the Province’s deficit on top of the $1.1 billion of forgone revenue, if the finance minister follows through on his plan to cancel the Slots at Racetracks program.
OHRIA is working with concerned citizens across Ontario to plan rallies at a number of MPP’s constituency offices this friday.
For text copy of the OHRIA ad please visit: http://value4money.ca/ohria-runs-a-full-page-ad-in-the-toronto-star-wednesday-march-28-2012/
For a rally schedule for Friday March 30, please visit: http://value4money.ca/friday-march-30-2012-rallies-to-target-liberal-mpps-in-riding-offices/
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