According to MPP Jeff Leal, Minister of Rural Affairs for the Province of Ontario, the horse-racing transitional panel was willing to listen to a counter offer from Kawartha Downs owner/operator Harvey 'Skip' Ambrose, but did not receive one.

“For reasons I don’t know at this time, it (the deal) was rejected," Leal was quoted as saying in an article on mykawartha.com. "The panel was willing to entertain a counter-offer.”

Armbrose announced earlier this week that the Fraserville, Ont. raceway will not host live horse racing in April or onward.

As the report explains, Ernie Hardeman, Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs critic, has said that there should be more transparency surrounding the proposed deal.

“It’s obvious we don’t know what they (Kawartha Downs) were rejecting and what they (the government) were offering,” said Hardeman, who went on to say, “Everything is hidden here and that’s not a way to do business.”

(With files from mykawartha.com)