The Ontario Harness Horse Association (OHHA) has issued a reminder that any grooms that were in the OHHA subsidized benefits plan are no longer covered, effective March 1, 2020.
The contents of OHHA’s release on the matter appears below, and is followed by a brief response that Trot Insider received from the Central Ontario Standardbred Association.
March 2 OHHA Grooms Benefits
Notice to OHHA grooms regarding benefits coverage
This is a reminder that any grooms that were in the Ontario Harness Horse Association (OHHA) subsidized benefits plan are no longer covered effective March 1, 2020.
While this is an extremely regrettable situation, the fact that Ontario Racing has eliminated all funding to OHHA and directed that funding to the Central Ontario Standardbred Association (COSA) has led to the cancellation of this program. We have heard from a number of grooms that are not pleased with being required to join COSA in order to maintain this important coverage.
OHHA continues to seek a resolution to the current lack of funding which has led the association to eliminate this plan. To date, meetings with Ontario Racing and COSA have not resulted in any resolution. While groom members of the National Capital Harness Horse Association (NCRHHA) are having their benefits subsidized through COSA, the board of COSA has refused to offer the same arrangement for OHHA grooms.
If you are affected by this change in benefits and are unhappy with being forced to join COSA in order to maintain your coverage please contact the OHHA office at 905-854-6442.
We apologize for this inconvenience and want to inform you that the OHHA board is actively engaged with government to find a solution to this situation. OHHA continues to seek a democratic process for horsepeople to determine, for themselves, their representative association.
Trot Insider reached out to COSA for comment on the OHHA release. Officials with COSA took issue with the last sentence of the third paragraph (While groom members of the National Capital Harness Horse Association (NCRHHA) are having their benefits subsidized through COSA, the board of COSA has refused to offer the same arrangement for OHHA grooms.). COSA officials conveyed to Trot Insider that NCRHHA grooms have to join COSA if they want benefit coverage. For details on COSA’s benefits coverage, please visit COSA’s website.