In a statement issued on Tuesday evening following the release of the OMAFRA Panel report on transitioning Ontario's horse racing industry from its slots-at-racetracks partnership with the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Corp, Essex NDP MPP Taras Natyshak went on the offensive and criticized Ontario's Liberal government for lacking vision and deserting the thousands employed in the industry.
The release from the Ontario NDP is available below.
The final Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel Report makes it clear that the McGuinty Liberals have left the horse racing industry out in the cold and need to do much more to fix the crisis they’ve caused for this important industry, says Essex NDP MPP Taras Natyshak
“The report makes it quite clear that the Liberal government was wrong in its decision to leave the horse racing industry out in the cold,” said Natyshak.
“With a swipe of a pen and without any consultation, the government cancelled a revenue generating program without providing an alternative to the industry,” explained Natyshak. “It showed complete disregard for the people employed in the industry. This report makes it clear that the horse racing industry needs some sort of public support to survive and transform.”
The report recommends that the number of horse racing days in Ontario be set at 800 per year. In an interim report released earlier this year, the panel acknowledged the $50-million in transition funding was not enough, but has not made public the amount it is recommending to the Ministry. It will withhold that figure pending government negotiations with industry.
“It is a pity that the horse racing industry has had to waste a year fighting for their right to exist when the government could have been working and consulting with them on future steps for the industry,” said Natyshak.
On Tuesday, October 30, the long-anticipated OMAFRA Panel Report on the transition of the Ontario horse-racing industry from the slots-at-racetracks program was released to the horse-racing industry. To view and comment on the report, click the following link: OMAFRA Report Released.