In a noon release today, the Woodbine Entertainment Group announced that it is calling off negotiations with the Ontario Harness Horse Association
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The release appears below in its entirety.
WEG finds it regrettable that OHHA continues to act in bad faith by, among other things, attempting to engage third parties to interfere with WEG's private commercial matters.
WEG is in receipt of a letter sent by OHHA on January 5, 2009 (one day after the members voted to call off the boycott of WEG racing) to every Member of Provincial Parliament in which OHHA requests that MPPs instruct the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corporation (OLG) to withhold WEG's share of slot machine revenue until such time as WEG contracts with OHHA.
This latest action by OHHA constitutes a serious interference with WEG's economic and contractual relations with OLG and may amount to inducing breach of contract. A cease and desist letter has been forwarded to OHHA today by our lawyers.
These are further actions by an organization with which WEG simply cannot, and will not, continue to do business. OHHA has demonstrated a pattern of bad faith and a desire to harm WEG's business and the sport of horse racing in general.
Accordingly, WEG has determined that it will have no further discussions with OHHA in connection with a new contract. Instead, WEG will focus its efforts on contracting with horse people that race at Woodbine and Mohawk racetracks and share WEG's vision for honest, exciting, quality horse racing.
Until such time as WEG is under contract with such a group, we reiterate our commitment to guarantee the revenue sharing arrangements and purse contributions stipulated in the Access Agreements. WEG will also continue to share slots revenue with horsepeople as it has committed to under contract with OLG.
Woodbine Entertainment Group