The Woodbine Entertainment Group received some good news when it reached its tentative agreement with the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. Although that deal helps a couple of Ontario racetracks, it does not help the breeders in the province much at all.
A report by the Sudbury Star on the issue has quoted Casimir Farm owner Murray McConnell as saying that he lost a good amount of money in 2012 due to the mess the Ontario Liberals made of the industry.
"I lost $250,000 last year," said McConnell, of Hagar, Ont. "We could very well lose the farm."
The article also contains quotes from former Ontario Agricultural Minister and Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs panel member Elmer Buchanan.
"Our belief is that the industry is shrinking as we speak," Buchanan was quoted as saying, adding, "what we hope is that the industry is large enough with 800 or so races that it can accommodate most of the horses."
Thoroughbred trainer / Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association President and Chair Sue Leslie was also quoted in the article, stating that the haphazard decision to submarine the provincial racing industry will "cause a wave of destruction across rural Ontario."
(With files from the Sudbury Star)
It wouldn't surprise me if
It wouldn't surprise me if both McGuinty & Dunkin land a good position with OLG or one of the large U.S. Casino's that want in Ontario. They can sit in their ivory towers while hard working rural Ontario families are decimated. This catastophic decision should be fully investigated and some heads should roll.
Mr. Buchanan, you and the
Mr. Buchanan, you and the other two members of the task force I know have the facts that hundreds of farms will be lost and thousands of horses will be destroyed because of the abruptedness with which the Liberal party ended the slots program. If you expect to be able to say that you did a great job you need to stop sugar coating the realities of this situation. I have been told by very reliable sources that every member of the panel understands the dire circumstances going forward for the horse racing industry and its equine athletes. I dont believe I will ever be asked to stand in front of Premier Wynne but since you have been given that job I would suggest that you tell her the truth about where we are headed and that she has the ability to stop it. I think the province needs to know whether Kathleen Wynne is paying lip service to rural Ontario or really cares. We will never know if you keep soft selling the future. I'm sure Premier Wynne will be able to cope with knowing that her predecessor totally screwed up the racing file.
Duncan and McGuinty have
Duncan and McGuinty have destroyed the Province of Ontario and now they are leaving. Thank God. We have thirty horses in training with five full time employees, wondering if there will be somewhere to race this year. We have given away eight broodmares and several horses. Our hearts go out to the Breeders in this industry as they have taken the full hit. The government gets their pay cheque and pensions while the tax payers suffer. Taxes will go up now with the close of the SAR program, because the government will not be getting the billion + it was from their share of the program. Al
The breeders are taking a
The breeders are taking a bath but Dwight Duncan will leave will a full pension and then land a plum job with the very groups he has been supporting..Remember this at the next election..
When they say the industry is
When they say the industry is shrinking, it's not Thoroughbreds. It's harness racing that is taking the hit.
I empathize with Casimir Farms. I too have lost at least $250,000 this past year and I will lose that again this year because foolishly I bred 13 mares in 2012 so I will pay for them for 3 years before I can sell anything. I probably won't be able to give away the babies because they are all Ontario bred.
I will not euthanize.
My race horses are all dressed up with only a few places to go. I am not sure if I will have Ontario races because I am not fortunate enough to have all WEG horses. Mostly I race at Signature and Grassroots so somebody tell me if I will be racing. PLEASE TELL ME SOON.
Georg Leber-ICR Racing