According to a report, the Ontario Provincial Government is going to reject 16 of the 362 recommendations in the Drummond Report, but will be adopting half of Drummond's suggestions. The remainder of the recommendations will require more study
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An article by the Toronto Star has quoted Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan as saying that, “We (the Ontario Liberal Government) have rejected 16 of Drummond’s recommendations. You will find in the budget that we’re moving on a little more than half of them. And on the balance, they require more study.”
When asked which recommendations will not be adopted by the government, Duncan said, “Most of them are in education."
The article also states that the hugely-beneficial slots-at-racetracks agreement, which the government inexplicably wants to cut provincial horsemen out of, has caused Duncan to want more transparency in the budget process.
Duncan was quoted as saying, “When people hear about the $345 million in horse racing, it was hidden. It was an offset against revenue. It was a reduction in the transfer from OLG.”
The 'hidden' $345-million Duncan refers to is the Ontario horse-racing industry's share of the roughly $1.4-billion in revenue slot machines housed within the walls of Ontario racetracks earn each year. The machines --- which are in direct competition with the racetracks' own racing products, hence racing's fair share of the proceeds --- directly funnel $1.1-billion in revenue to the provincial government each year with minimal overhead for the government. In turn, the horse-racing industry's cut of the slots proceeds annually leads to $261-million in direct taxes for the government from racing each year; helps employ 60,000 Ontarians; annually results in $2-billion in impact on the provincial economy; and helps fund multiple provincial programs, including health care and education.
For Trot Insider's complete coverage regarding the fallout and uproar in response to the OLG and Ontario Liberals' treatment of the provincial horse-racing industry, click here.