Monte McNaughton
JOHN ROBBINS/Bullet News
NIAGARA – The Liberal decision to end the lucrative slots-at-racetracks program will mean 13,000 race horses will have to be euthanized, Ontario’s Progressive Conservative opposition warns.
And there will be other, even more “devastating” impacts on the Ontario economy, says PC MPP Monte McNaughton.
“Sixty thousand jobs are at risk. 17 race tracks will close. Now we find out 13,000 horses will be killed. All because of Dalton McGuinty’s decision to pull the plug on Ontario’s horse racing industry,” said McNaughton.
McNaughton, the PC economic development and innovation critic, made his remarks in response to concerns raised by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs Horse Racing Transition Panel.
The Tories have criticized the government not only for the decision last spring to end the slots revenue sharing with race tracks, but for an alleged lack of consultation before and after the decision.
“Like many decisions coming from the McGuinty government, consultation on this plan was limited,” said McNaughton.
“Local municipalities were not consulted and will now be losing an important source of revenue.
He continued: “The horse industry was not consulted and now risks being completely wiped-out.It is clear local horsemen and their horses will bear the brunt of this poorly thought-out decision, which seems to be the way Dalton McGuinty, Dwight Duncan and their government prefer to do business.”
Here in Niagara, the cancellation of the slots-at-race-track program as put the future of the Fort Erie Race Track in serious jeopardy, along with more than 1,000 full-time and seasonal workers who depend on the 115-year-old border oval to make a living.
The Liberal have argued cancelling the program will allow millions of more dollars to be re-invested in health-care and education at a time when other programs are being cut or killed to help erase the provincial budget deficit by 2017-2018.
One Comment on "Tories warn Liberal decision to cancel slots-at-racetracks program will mean death for 13,000 horses"
The above is the ultimate example of extreme stupidity in print. First of all, horse racing had no more right to the hand-out indicated than do homeless people on Bloor street.
Secondly, given such a handout, said homeless people would be a far better bet (than horse racing has been) to DO SOMETHING FOR THEMSELVES with the new opportunity. Horse Racing has HAD this slots opportunity for more than 11 years at Woodbine and it has taken zero steps toward being self-sufficient.
Take away the dole and Woodbine and friends are right back to the helpless place it knew prior to Y2K.
Horse racing’s demise is due entirely to the lack of foresight and/or common sense exercised by those pulling the strings. Everybody knows that tough economic times are a boon to gambling enterprises and yet horse racing is dying on the vine despite optimum conditions.
So when you in the racing biz look around for causes it would be most sensible to look directly in the mirror. For anybody from the highest ranking executive to the lowest ranking horse groomer is either the problem themself OR they are an ‘enabler’ of those who are directly the problem.
In brief: You ARE the problem!!! Now get the hell out of the way so the solution can surface around your buffoonery.