On Tuesday, October 30, the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association issued a release regarding the OMAFRA Panel's report to provincial government on the transition from the slots-at-racetracks program.

To view the OMAFRA Panel's report, click here.

The contents of the OHRIA release appear below.

Panel Releases Final Report on the Ontario Horse Racing Industry

The Honourable Ted McMeekin today released the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel report containing the final recommendations for a new partnership between the government and the horse racing industry in Ontario.

While the Panel’s new Sustainable Horse Racing Model leaves many questions unanswered, OHRIA believes this is an opportunity for the industry to commence meaningful negotiations directly with government.

There certainly are elements of the Model that need to be better understood, adjusted and modified but the Panel has assured OHRIA that based on this Model the government is prepared to enter into good faith negotiations with our industry.

OHRIA would like to thank the OMAFRA Panel members for their hard work and commitment to their task and would also like to thank Minister Ted McMeekin for pushing hard to get their recommendations to the decision makers in government.

As our industry continues to crumble around us, OHRIA can’t sufficiently state the urgency for these negotiations to commence immediately.