Buses Added To Queen's Park Rally

Trot Insider has learned another bus has been booked for the Queen's Park Rally scheduled for Wednesday, February 22 organized by the Ontario Harness Horse Association (OHHA)

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The rally will take place on the front lawn of Queen’s Park (110 Wellesley Street, Toronto) from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. The day has been scheduled in order to raise awareness of the importance of the equine industry and the economic benefits it contributes to the Province of Ontario in light of the recent recommendations put forth in the Drummond Report concerning the OLG Slots At Racetracks program.

During the late 90s the Ontario Government sought to introduce slot machines at racetracks. The racing industry and the government recognized that the implementation of slots at their tracks would have a negative impact on racing. Together the industry and government negotiated an agreement that required a portion of slot revenues be directed to the racing industry. This arrangement has been beneficial for everyone and has allowed the racing industry to prosper. The stated goal of the “Slots at Racetracks Program” was to “Enhance live racing and subsequently benefit the agricultural sector in Ontario.”

The program has been extremely successful. The Ontario Government has earned billions of dollars in revenue from the Slots at Racetracks Program. The racing industry has been able to maintain approximately 65,000 direct and/or indirect jobs and the $2.6 billion dollars per year in related economic activity in the province.

A release from OHHA states, "The taxpayers have never subsidized the horse racing industry. The racing industry is not looking for any Government handouts; we simply want to maintain the current arrangement that has been so beneficial to all parties. We are hopeful that, upon review of the current arrangement, the Government will see the obvious benefits of continuing the Slots at Racetracks Program in its current form."

Bus schedule and contact information:

• There are two buses leaving from Kawartha Downs at 10:30 a.m. Those buses will be stopping at the GO Bus stop at Highway 2 and 115 at approximately 11:00 a.m. on the way to Queen’s Park. For information regarding the Kawartha bus please call Dave Gibson at 705-930-4292.
• Mohawk Inn - bus leaving at 12:00 noon - contact Anthony MacDonald 519-400-4263.
• Georgian Downs bus leaving at 11:00 a.m. - contact Mike Sinclair 705-323-4891.
• Windsor Raceway bus leaving at 8:00 a.m., stopping at Highway 21 and 401 truck stop at 9:00 a.m., stopping at Dutton Service Centre at 9:30 a.m., stopping at Flying J truck stop in London at 10:30 a.m. - contact Mark Williams 519-257-7170.
• Flamboro Downs bus leaving at 11:15 a.m. - contact Jennifer Rankin 905-536-6579
• Clinton/Hanover/Grand River bus leaving Clinton Raceway at 8:00 a.m., stopping at Westcast Community Centre Arena in Wingham for 8:45 a.m., then leaving at 9:00 a.m. for the Hanover Raceway Backstretch for 9:30 a.m. and leaving there at 9:45 a.m., arriving at Grand River at 10:45 a.m. leaving at 11:00 for Queen's Park - contact Jim Watt 519-482-5909.
• Sudbury Downs bus, leaving on Wednesday morning at 7:00 a.m., organized by the Northern Horsemen's Association. For more infomation contact Paul MacLean at 705-507-0200.

The rally will get underway at 1:30 p.m. with speeches. The bus will depart Queens Park at approximately 3 p.m., returning to Hanover at around 6:30 and Clinton by 8.

For further information on the rally, please contact Brian Tropea at 1-866-774-6442 (toll free) or 905-854-6442, ext. 222, or by email [email protected].

(With files from OHHA)