It is an understatement to say that many people in the province's horse-racing industry want to know exactly what the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party's official stance is in regard to the slots-at-racetracks program. Now, over the coming days, you have the chance to speak with Ontario PC Leader Tim Hudak.
According to the party's website, Hudak has scheduled a number of town hall meetings in the upcoming days.
- The first meeting is scheduled to take place Wednesday, July 11 at 7:00 p.m. in Kitchener-Waterloo. The meeting will take place at the St. George Banquet Hall, Hall B, Conference and Events Centre, 665 King Street North.
- The second meeting is scheduled to take place Thursday, July 12 at 7:00 p.m. in Toronto. The meeting will take place at the Canadian Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Meeting Room 126, 1929 Bayview Avenue.
- The third meeting is scheduled to take place Thursday, July 19 from 8:00 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. in Flamborough. The meeting will take place at the Dutch Mill, 533 Millgrove Side Road.
As the related links below indicate, Hudak has spoken out against the Ontario Liberal Government's inexplicable decision to scrap the slots-at-racetracks agreement, but he has yet to officially state what the Ontario PC Party's official position is on the matter.
The decision, if it goes through as the Ontario Liberals want it to, will see 30,000 full-time jobs lost and in upwards of 60,000 jobs lost once part-time and seasonal work is taken into account.
The slots-at-racetrack agreement also sees roughly $1.1-billion in annual revenue from slots located at racetracks get funneled directly to the provincial government, which it then spends of health care and education.
Via its 20 per cent cut of slot-machine revenue (roughly $345-million, annually), the Ontario horse-racing industry then turns around and pays the government roughly $261-million in direct taxes, which it can use to fund health care and education.
The Ontario horse-racing industry attracts foreign investment to the province and leads to an annual economic impact of $2-billion to the province, a large majority of which is felt in rural Ontario.
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There will likely be a lot of
There will likely be a lot of double-talk and beating-around-the-bush from Mr. Hudak but we have to persist on getting a straight answer. With the right people at these meetings, we might be able to get a commitment from the Conservatives in exchange for a healthy number of votes in the next election.
Tim Hudak has his annual BBQ
Tim Hudak has his annual BBQ (FREE!) on Sat July 14 from Noon til 2 pm, along with Dean Allison the Federal MP for this riding, at Cherry Avenue Farms, 4303 Cherry Ave, Vineland, On. Usually a huge crowd but another chance to bend his ear. They're calling for rain so it might keep the crowd down, if it's still a go!
The second meeting on July 12
The second meeting on July 12 is definately in the right location for McGuinty and Duncan to attend !