On Monday, March 31, Fort Erie Council voted 6-1 in favour of earmarking $500,000 to ensure that the Fort Erie Race Track can be in the position to host a live racing meet in 2014.

A report by the Fort Erie Times states that the money will come from the Town’s reserve fund and will be used for the track’s lease payment.

The article states that the province committed funds to the track, but Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium CEO Jim Thibert said he wasn’t sure if the province’s funding would be enough.

The report has cited Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin as being upset with the way that the province handled its decision to provide funding to the track. Martin said that the Town has been excluded from any sort of involvement in terms of gaming, yet it has found a way "in spite of the government."

The report has quoted Mayor Martin as saying, "This is typical of the government over the last seven years," adding, "they wait to the [last] possible second to make a commitment or an offer and they still always seem to come up short."

(With files from the Fort Erie Times)