On Wednesday (Feb. 21) Mike Chopowick, the Acting Executive Director of Ontario Racing, issued the following statement on the status of the province's proposed long-term funding agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming.

The statement appears below.

Long Term Funding Program Update

Last year, Ontario Racing consulted with horse racing industry members across the province on a proposed, new long-term funding agreement with Ontario Lottery and Gaming. Based on the feedback from those consultations, OR submitted a set of policy recommendations to the government to ensure the new funding framework served the best long-term interests of racetracks, horsepersons and our equine athletes. Ontario Racing, OLG and Woodbine Entertainment Group (WEG), have taken the time to negotiate many vital issues essential to a successful, long-term funding framework.

To date, these negotiations are proceeding very constructively and positively. We hope to be able to report more fully on developments shortly.

In the meantime, discussions continue on merging the Standardbred Alliance and Ontario Racing. We expect to be able to reach out to stakeholders very soon to outline how the structure will come together. One key element is assuring that all stakeholders have meaningful representation so that we can continue to build a sustainable horseracing sector for the future.

(Ontario Racing)