Horwath: NDP Would Reinstate SARP

It is great to say that they are going to reinstate the SARP but where is the complete Proposal. Saying something for press time without adding substantial body when she had the opportunity to defeat this government for the billions they stole to give to their friends and save seats is just flying in the face of good sound policy for the good of the people of Ontario.

Dear Ms. Horwath,

As much as your intentions are honourable..... you are a little too late. You had the chance to put this gov't out of office and save thousands of jobs and millions of dollars invested in the industry but instead you chose to ride the proverbial fence by abstaining in the house when the crucial vote took place. Now you think that you can win an election by promising to re-instate the SARP. Well let me tell you this...... You have as much chance of winning an election in Ontario as I have of catching lightning in a beer bottle. Good leadership doesn't sit on it's hands during a critical vote.

With all due respect Lynne, I agree with your comments regarding NDP not acting upon this 2 years ago, but I must disagree with your comments about the Liberals "making an effort to keep horse racing alive in Ontario".

Make that Southern Ontario while the rest of the Horsemen in the Province are left to fight like dogs over the scraps.

I love harness racing but honestly can we hear more stories about what the track owners are going to do to get people interested in the sport again ? What are they going to do also besides harness racing at the facilities to keep things going ? Forget what politicians say I would like to see what track owners say about their plans for the future. What ideas do you have ?

I also would like to see the idea of sports books placed in the tracks across Ontario done.

I see what people are writing about Andrea Howrwath and no doubt she let opportunities slip. Bottom line for me is that I just can't vote Liberal and Hudak is a no show on the horse racing file. He is just not going to commit.

Further he has disappointed me in parliament. The only way I will now vote PC is if they pick a new leader. Hudak can't win. That would leave us with another Liberal minority due to the Toronto vote and my guess is the PC's and NDP will flip flop so the NDP are the official opposition.

In reality I want none of the above but military coup is not likely. I still say there should be a new party called the Rural Party of Ontario that only run outside of Toronto. If they could win a dozen seats, they would no dobut be the balance of power. I am dreaming in technicolor here though.

Georg Leber-ICR Racing

Like most of the rest of us, I try and keep up with what the politicians say no matter where they are or who*s speaking. There*s a lot of talk,talk,talk, but as the little senior lady said in a commercial WHERE*S THE BEEF? Unfortunately there doesn*t appear to be any! Is there an election in the wind? Suddenly all the parties are telling us they*re on our side. I*ll need more than a grain of salt to believe any of this.

Now is your chance Ms. Horwath. Mr. Hudak wants to put through a none confidence vote. Support the PC on this and have an election.

Mr. MacDonald, get your boss to say it too.

Greg Parke

I 100 percent believe the NDP want to help the Industry. I have had the pleasure of corresponding with Taras Natyshak over the last year and a half and am appeciative and impressed with his prompt and honest responses, whether I like it or not. Easy for people to say if you want to help us have an election. One thing I think we all can agree on is if the Ndp told the electorate we are going to the polls because of Horseracing, They would be committing political suicide as 90 percent of Ontarions have been poisoned by the Libs into thinking it was a subsidy all along and would hang the Ndp. If you think the PC plan of having Racetrack owners bid on the Slots is not far off on what the Libs want to do with Privitization. The track owners would not share the revenue with the Horsemen.Why would they? It not something that can be mandated or legislated.

Really Andrea??? NOW you want to save horse racing! Where the heck were you almost two years ago when the proverbially 'manure' hit the fan? Where was your pledge to reinstate the SARP when thousands of jobs disappeared, investors dropped out, breeders went out of business or barely hung on, breeding and racing stock relocated outside of Ontario, young, talented drivers and trainers that got their start in Ontario when Ontario was THE racing hotbed of North America moved south of the border? Then there are the veterinarians, the farriers, the feed and tack stores, etc. etc. that saw their businesses take huge hits as the industry crumbled. Wait, I remember----you and your party abstained from voting on two budgets that, with the Conservative vote, could have shut down Dalton McGuinty and his sidekick, Dwight Duncan rather than letting them convince the people of Ontario that the racing industry was being "subsidized" by the government and the people of Ontario and that bringing internationally owned casinos into the province would be so much better for all. Sorry Andrea----too little, too late. This is no more than grandstanding
to attract votes from the racing sector. Empty promises.

As for the Liberals, under Kathleen Wynne they are at least making an effort to keep horse racing alive in Ontario. The three party panel members that McGuinty hired (only under unexpected pressure from the horsepeople) to negotiate (and I use the term loosely) with the industry to continue in some fashion were pressured by the horsepeople to revise and revise again THE PLAN until we got something that had a shred of respectability.

Sorry Andrea. Sitting on your hands during a critical vote of confidence and whistling whichever way the wind blows doesn't cut it with us 'farmers'--the rural vote that has predominantly swung to the Conservatives. Even they,under Hudak, have to come up with something more concrete to maintain the support from the racehorse people. The Liberals just don't look that bad these days and certainly better than you and your party of fence-sitters. Just my humble opinion, of course.

To actually come out and say she would re-implement the SARP at this stage of the game is borderline disgraceful. She listened and watched the horsemen and women struggle and plead for the 'powers-that-be' to listen to their plight but to no avail. How many times she could have ended this travesty. This is not a great announcement but rather more like a poison chalice and we should look upon it as such.

So what I will do is dance around the subject matter for two years while efforts are being made to restructure the industry and when the horse is too far down the road to be able to change it without huge obstacles and cost I will declare my allegiances to the old system. I wonder why politicians say things like this until I realize there is always an audience for swampland in Florida

The problem is that the NDP keep doing everything that they can to avoid the next election. When push came to shove they sat on their hands and supported the architects of the mess we have now. Andrea can talk all she wants, but that's all it is, talk! If she really means what she says,Why doesn't she bring down the government and get on with an election?
Jim M. The problem is that no one under 40 can remember the fiscal mess that Bob Rae and Pink Floyd and the rest of the NDP left the province in.

Andrea Horwath could have stopped this madness two budgets ago. She could have saved the baby and water.

If I recall correctly, Horvath had her party sit on their hands and ABSTAIN from voting down the budget. After doing that to the people of Ontario and this industry, nothing that she says can ever be considered as credible. It is just another political move to try and rustle up support for her party if an election is called.

She had her chance a year and a half ago. What a bunch of nonsense!!! does anyone remember, too little too late. thankyou Leo Samarillo

In my riding the incumbent Liberal MPP is retiring and I have meetings scheduled with the Conservative candidate. But now I will be telling both the Conservative and Liberal candidates that the NDP stepped to the plate first and therefore will have my (and anyone I can influence)support in the next election which hopefully will be soon.

Is this about votes? Yes. However, I applaud that Ms Horwath actually said it.

I have been hard on NDP and I have been pro PC but when credit is due I have to be fair. I want to hear more but if they make this a genuine promise in print, then they have my vote.

Monte and Anthony, you gotta get on your boss right now and get him to say it out loud. You know I am a PC supporter so if you want my vote you have to make it known you are fighting for our industry, not just dancing around it.

Georg Leber-ICR Racing

Perhaps Anthony MacDonald should switch parties if the NDP wants reinstatement of SARP.

After the Bob Rae experience the NDP has no chance of winning a majority.

Thats about the same chances of winning LOTTO Max or beating an OLG slot machine.
Must be no news in Ottawa