An official with Clinton Raceway has announced that a scheduled $3-million expansion to the track's grandstand is now on hold. She also noted that a $750,000 infusion of capital to an important local agricultural centre could be wiped out as well
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In an article by Bullet News, Morag Watt, chair of Clinton Raceway Inc., stated that the expansion plans have been shelved due to the Ontario Liberal Government threatening to back out of its slots-at-racetracks agreement with the track, which is reportedly legally valid for another four years.
“At the moment, because we have no details as to how this will play out, that project is on hold,” Watt said.
She also added that Clinton Raceway Inc. may have to review its financial commitment to the Regional Equine and Agricultural Centre of Huron (REACH), which is in line to receive $750,000 from Clinton over 10 years.
The report also states that Council, like Fort Erie, decided to support a motion to petition the Province of Ontario to maintain its commitment to horse racing in Ontario.
The contents of the petition appear below.
MOTION:
That the Municipality of Central Huron support the resolution from the Town of Fort Erie regarding maintain the rural economic in Ontario and by maintaining and enhancing the live horse racing industry and;
WHEREAS the Clinton Raceway has been in operation for 42 years;
WHEREAS the Clinton Raceway, Central Huron’s largest tourist attraction, employs over 70 local residents and more than 32 horse people;
WHEREAS the Clinton Raceway contributes in excess of $1.7 million in direct annual expenditures to the Central Huron economy;
WHEREAS the Clinton Raceway provides $50,000 in property taxes to the Municipality of Central Huron;
WHEREAS the Municipality of Central Huron wishes to continue its ongoing moral and financial support of the Clinton Raceway as a critical component of the local economy and as one of the community’s largest employers;
WHEREAS the Clinton Raceway is an integral component of Ontario’s horse racing industry which employs approximately 60,000 across the Province of Ontario and is a most important economic driver of jobs in rural Ontario;
WHEREAS all three levels of government realize substantial revenues from the horse racing and breeding industry expenditures, this revenue having increased by 27% in the last decade as follows:
Federal Revenue: $382.7 million
Provincial Revenue: $261 million (exclusive of slot machine profits)
Local revenue: $138 million (paid to host municipalities where slots are located)
WHEREAS a total of $1.5 billion in wages and salaries in Ontario are sustained annually by the total expenditures of the Ontario horse racing and breeding industry (50% higher than the $1 billion in 2000);
WHEREAS the horse racing and breeding industry is the second largest sub-sector of the agricultural economy, exceeding the contributions of wheat, egg, poultry and hogs in 2010;
WHEREAS the direct and indirect investment stimulates local economies with demand for products and services in rural Ontario provided by veterinarians, blacksmiths, hay and grain suppliers, transport workers and harness and saddle makers, as well as the thousands of jobs directly in horse racing and race track operations;
NOW THEREFORE be it resolved that the Council of the Municipality of Central Huron petition the Province of Ontario to maintain its support and commitment to the horse racing industry in Ontario in order to preserve and enhance this historic industry, and further
THAT the Honourable Dalton McGuinty, Premier of Ontario, notify the Municipality of Central Huron and its sister communities of the Province’s intentions in this regard within a reasonable period of time, and further
THAT this resolution be circulated to Central Huron’s sister communities in Ontario who are also home to horse racing facilities or are home to economic sectors related to the horse racing industry, and further
THAT Central Huron’s sister communities be encouraged to enact similar resolutions to express their support for Ontario’s horse racing and breeding industries in writing to the Premier of Ontario to preserve and enhance the live racing industry in Ontario.
(With files from Bullet News)
For Trot Insider's complete coverage regarding the fallout and uproar in response to the Ontario Liberals' Drummond Report, click here.