The harness racing industry in New Brunswick is already without any major stakes events after the provincial government announced it was cutting funding to the racing industry, and things are only to get worse unless changes are made in the very near future. Now, an online poll wants to know what you think about the situation.
The industry learned it would be forced to deal without $600,000 in funding, and as a result drastic cutbacks were made to the 2013 racing schedule – and more cutbacks are sure to come.
“We’ve reduced down to 37 race dates in the province of New Brunswick this year,” Horse Racing New Brunswick’s Executive Director, Jeff Malloy, told CTV News. “Thirty-seven dates is the bare minimum to maintain the program. We were hoping to have some solutions in place by now, but unfortunately we’re facing a difficult season.”
What the industry is calling for is a multi-purpose gaming and sporting venue and partnership with the government similar to the one that salvaged the racing industry in Prince Edward Island.
“We’re hoping that the provincial government will look at it and see what the PEI government has done and that way move forward and look at Nova Scotia and New Brunswick as an Atlantic project.”
Stemming from the news feature, the CTV Atlantic’s website poll question of the day is: Should harness racing by government be funded?
To cast your vote in the poll, click here and scroll mid-way down the page to find the poll on the right side of the website.