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City's slot share is safe

The city's five-per-cent share of the Slots at Racetracks program will remain intact, councillors heard March 20. Finance committee chair Ward 11 Coun.
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Northern Horsemen's Association president Robert Bodkin, left, and member and former Sudbury mayor John Rodriguez discuss the outcome of the city's decision to back the fight against the elimination of the province's Slots at Racetracks program. Photo by Arron Pickard.

The city's five-per-cent share of the Slots at Racetracks program will remain intact, councillors heard March 20.

Finance committee chair Ward 11 Coun. Terry Kett said he has been in contact with Sudbury MPP Rick Bartolucci's office, and it was verified that the money given to the city through the program will remain as is, which accounts for about $2.1 million annually.

Funds from the Ontario Lottery Gaming Corporation's program goes into a general account at the city, but is used for capital investments, such as roads. That's likely the only silver lining in an otherwise dark cloud that will settle over the horse-racing industry, according to the Northern Horsemen's Association.

Still at stake is the 20 per cent given to racetracks and horsemen, 10 per cent to each, as part of the cost-sharing agreement with OLG established in 1998. Money that goes to racetrack owners is used for facility upkeep and track infrastructure, while funds that go to the horsemen are doled out in a variety of ways, including prize purses.

Council unanimously voted in favour of a motion introduced by Ward 4 Coun. Evelyn Dutrisac to petition the province to maintain its operations of OLG slots at Ontario racetracks and that it retain the sharing of slot revenues with host municipalities, the Ontario Horse Racing Association and facility owners.

Northern Horsemen's Association president Robert Bodkin, left, and member and former Sudbury mayor John Rodriguez discuss the outcome of the city's decision to back the fight against the elimination of the province's Slots at Racetracks program. Photo by Arron Pickard.

Northern Horsemen's Association president Robert Bodkin, left, and member and former Sudbury mayor John Rodriguez discuss the outcome of the city's decision to back the fight against the elimination of the province's Slots at Racetracks program. Photo by Arron Pickard.

Council will take its message to the 16 other municipalities that play host to racetracks and slot machines. Council also wants a meeting with Premier Dalton McGuinty, with Ward 7 Coun. Dave Kilgour suggesting the elimination of the program is “damn close to a no-confidence situation,” and there are enough people screaming in Ontario about poor handling of money, that it could result in an election.

Ward 5 Coun. Ron Dupuis said the city, unfortunately, has no say in the OLG decision, but it can add pressure. He said the decision by the province to stamp out its Slots at Racetracks program was absolutely thrown in our face, and we've been left to deal with the consequence.

Those consequences include the potential loss of 60,000 jobs, people who are employed directly or indirectly through the horse-racing industry. Sudbury Downs maintains an average annual payroll of more than $1.5 million, and hundreds of jobs throughout the entire city are at risk if the agreement is terminated.

Sandy Best, owner and operator of The Best Bandages, said he attended a trade show in southern Ontario, and the results of this decision are already taking effect.
“I was talking to some breeders, and they have six foals ... 20 more to come,” Best said. “They decided last fall, because of how good the provincial program was, they were going to focus all of their efforts in Ontario. They just cancelled everything, and now all that money is going to the United States.”

This battle is being waged on numerous fronts, former Sudbury mayor John Rodriguez said. In a move of solidarity, horse people across the province are approaching their own city councils to seek similar support in the fight.

“If it isn't broken, why fix it,” Rodriguez, also a member of the Northern Horsemen's Association, said. “The horse-racing industry creates a pile of wealth and great economic activity across the province, which is why horsemen throughout Ontario continue to question the government's decision to axe the program.”

The horse-racing industry creates about $261 million in revenue for the province, exclusive of slot revenues, according to the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association. The industry spends more than $2 billion per year in Ontario, with more than 80 per cent of that money being spent in rural Ontario.

Rodriguez said it's important for the city to remember it is not alone in its effort to lobby the government to save the industry, and pointed out it's a minority government, and nothing is impossible.

“The horse-racing industry isn't taking this lying down,” he added. “In fact, there are lawyers looking into the legality of the province walking away from the agreement with little to no discussion about its intent.”

There has been no consultation with horsemen anywhere, Rodriguez said.

Meanwhile, horsemen across the province plan to travel to Queen's Park to rally in protest of the program's elimination. Northern Horsemen's Association director Paul MacLean, one of about 50 people who attended the finance meeting, said between 5,000 and 10,000 horsemen will try to drill it into the heads of politicians that the plan to eliminate the program is unacceptable. That protest is slated for March 26.

Posted by Arron Pickard
 

 


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Arron Pickard

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