The Governing Board of the Ontario Racing Commission has approved a balanced budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year, which lowers regulatory expenditures to
pre-2004 levels. It has also lived up to its commitment to the industry and eliminated the interim $800,000 service deficit fee introduced one year ago.
The 2011/2012 regulatory budget has been set at approximately $8.9 million. The comparable figure in 2004, prior to the ORC assuming various industry program costs, was $9.9 million. The cost to administer these industry programs in total add about $3.3 million to the budget, and include:
- the Horse Improvement Program,
- the Ontario Quarter Horse Racing Industry Development Program,
- the Equine Medication Control Program, including the CPMA’s TCO2 Program,
- the Human Alcohol and Drug Program, and
- the implementation and monitoring of the Ontario Racing Program.
The ORC has made considerable efforts to maintain costs and operate in a fiscally responsible manner while responding to the service level demands of the industry. For more than five years, the ORC has virtually flat lined its expenses and introduced cost restraints.
While these efforts shall continue, the Governing Board advised the Administration that the ORC should not and will not deviate from ensuring that it continues to provide quality services to the horse racing sector. The ORC must continue to fulfill its legislated mandate of protecting the health and safety of the horse, the safety of participants and protecting the public interest.
The commitment is to examine these core services for better and more efficient means of delivery. Any service not directly related to fulfilling the mandate should be evaluated to determine whether they would be funded through full cost recovery, off-loaded back to the industry, or dropped.
(ORC)