Be it in Alberta or British Columbia, there has been a common complaint from standardbred horsepeople over the last handful of years. In light of the recently-announced intentions of the Great Canadian Gaming Corp., Brent Hill has come out and joined the choir. "The harness racing people are getting the short end of the stick."
Hill's comments come via an article by The Cloverdale Reporter. The piece outlines the events which have transpired since last Friday's announcement by the British Columbia Government's Gaming Policy and Enforcement Branch of the Ministry of Housing and Social Development.
"They've basically pulled the carpet out from underneath us by cutting and cutting race dates," Hill, a veteran BC horseman, was quoted as saying.
Hill went on to state, "I'm hoping our board is going to say these dates are unacceptable," and that "the stability needs to be there. We need to be on solid ground. Taking away race dates isn't it."
The article also quotes Cloverdale Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bill Reid as saying, "without a question, it's (the racing industry is) our biggest industry," and that the impact of such a decision, if it is approved, will be felt.
(With files from The Cloverdale Reporter)
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Well said Brent,most of the
Well said Brent,most of the horsepeople in Cloverdale are easy going and don't want to rock the boat,unfortunatly this has lead us to be taken advantage of,the slots were given to the racetrack and the horsepeople by the Surrey Council,while the racetrack have kept their share the horsepeople have had their share taken from them and given to the throughbreds.The first part of the business plan Derek Sturko urges us to set up should be to get that money returned.