Progressive Conservative MPP Rob Milligan (Northumberland-Quinte West) and local horsepeople gathered at a rally at Grasshopper Flats racetrack Friday morning to raise awareness about the impact of ending the Slots-At-Racetracks program on the community.

"Obviously we think Mr. McGuinty is going down the wrong path," said Milligan in a CHEX Television News report at the local gathering of about 50 horsemen and media. "There's 60,000 jobs at stake and...the Slots-At-Racetrack [program] creates $1.1 billion annually in revenue for the province of Ontario.

"Many of those people [employed in the horse racing industry], even though they may be retrained, are not going to be able to find work out here in rural Ontario," added Milligan. "There's not a lot of jobs out here."

Milligan encouraged McGuinty to listen to the members of his Liberal caucus that have also voiced concerns for ending the Slots program, including Peterborough MPP Jeff Leal, who proposed to keep slots at eight to 10 tracks based on geography as an investment opportunity.

"I think Mr. McGuinty should pay attention to what, not just Mr. Leal, but what other members in the Liberal caucus are saying," he said.