A national Equine Centre is nearing approval, Wellington County councillors heard here on Oct. 30.
Warden John Green told councillors he was informed by two University of Guelph officials the 640-acre site would be located just outside the city at the corner of Victoria and Arkell Roads.
Green said the site currently contains hogs, but that operation will be moved to the Elora Research Station to make room for the horses.
The proposal will help protect the Galt-Paris moraine, and will include trails for horses.
The warden said he’s heard there are more horses within 100km of the site than in any other place in Ontario. He added there was no mention of a grant request, and the operation was seeking the county’s endorsement.
Green said Toronto is bidding for the 2015 Pan-Am Games, and this centre could likely serve for all the equestrian events involved in that international event.
“It’s an exciting project,” he said, noting university representatives suggest the centre could be worth between $50- and $70-million annually in economic activities.
Councillors received a handout that listed a large number of partners from the horse industry:
– Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society (Ontario division);
– Equine Canada;
– Ontario Equestrian Federation;
– Ontario Harness Horse Association;
– Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of Ontario;
– Standardbred Canada; and
– Equine Guelph.
The latter is affiliated with the University of Guelph.
Gail Ecker, the senior manager of Equine Guelph said her organization is “very excited” about the proposal.
“It opens up many new ways that Equine Guelph can be of service to the equine industry,” Ecker said.
She added the land is located about 15 minutes from its current offices near the university, and she believes the organization would move there once it is up and running.
Ecker said the horse population has been growing in Ontario and noted census data from 2006 showed there are over 27,000 horses in the province, an increase of 50.5% since 2001.
“The economic impact to the area would be huge,” Ecker predicted.
Jean Szkotnicki, the chairman of the Ontario Equine Centre Inc. board of directors, said there has been discussion about such a centre since 2003, when the Canadian Thoroughbred group was looking to move its sales event from Woodbine. She said moving out the racehorses was inconvenient to make room for the fall sale.
Szkotnicki explained that when officials learned a property near Arkell might be available – through the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario – from the Ontario Realty Corporation, talks took off. A number of horse groups joined the venture.
She said there was “a real interest in an Equine Centre that could make Ontario a leader in North America and internationally.
One of the big reasons the property is desirable for the centre was its closeness to the University of Guelph, as well as its proximity to Toronto International Airport.
Szkotnicki also noted the plan joins private industry and horse groups with the university and province.
“You’ve got a real marriage of public and private interests,” she said.
She added the group has been to Guelph council, and Puslinch council is also on side. She added besides Equine Guelph, a number of other horse organizations would likely want to move to the centre.
On Nov. 13, the board of the Agricultural Research Institute of Ontario, which controls the property, will be making its decision. The result could mean millions in economic activity worth $70-million per year when it is fully operational.
Szkotnicki said the group hired the George Morris Centre to do a financial evaluation of the proposal, and that was its conclusion.
Szkotnicki said the Kentucky Horse Park attracts about 100,000 people to its events, and “That’s a lot of spin-off.”
A press release noted other area politicians have formed a rural-urban coalition to help secure the high-profile equestrian component of the 2015 Pan-Am Games.
Organizers say that event could generate $15-billion worth of economic activity overall for the host.
Toronto, and thus the Golden Horseshoe area, is considered a front-runner for the games, among a field likely to include Bogota, Columbia, and Lima, Peru.
Ontario will formally submit a bid to the organizing committee early in 2009. Bid chairman David Peterson and his venue selection committee are eyeing potential locales now for the Games’ multi-sport competitions, including equestrian Sports events.
Area officials, including MPPs Liz Sandals and Ted Arnott, as well as Guelph Mayor Karen Farbridge, want the equestrian venue.
Centre planners say it is the only site in Ontario that could accommodate all three currently sanctioned equestrian events (and others that might get approval between now and 2015), as well as hold equine demonstration Sports events.
Plans for the centre have been evolving, with the equine industry and the University of Guelph working together to develop an equine sector business cluster and research incubator. Pending government and regulatory approvals, construction could start next year.
Organizers also say the centre’s relationship with the university gives it research, education and technology transfer aspects that are unique among horse parks in North America.
Szkotnicki predicted, “It will put the Ontario and Canadian equine industry in a leadership position globally while contributing to regional economic and environmental sustainability.”
Arnott liked the idea of a new centre to attract the Pan-Am Games
“Hosting the equestrian portion of the games would be a terrific boost to the community and tourism,” he said. “The proximity of the Games to the University of Guelph with its research and teaching strengths, and the support of the equine industry, means we have the expertise, talent and resources to succeed.”
Farbridge said, “The synergy for this proposal is great between private, public, academic and non-profit interests. It’s an extremely exciting opportunity for Guelph, the county and the surrounding area.”
For Puslinch and Wellington County, the proposal is a winner. They have taken root as equine strongholds over the past decade, giving the province the largest horse population in Canada. It is estimated more than $980-million has been spent in Ontario on equine-related assets (horses, land, buildings, vehicles, etc.) in the past four years alone.
Arnott liked the legacy aspect of the Pan-Am Games.
“The games would serve the region for many years to come,” says Arnott. “They will truly leave a lasting legacy.”
