Wellington-Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott wants to see some horse sense in dealing with the impact of slot machine revenues and the horse racing industry.
On March 21, Arnott stood in the Ontario Legislature and said he felt “compelled to bring to the attention of the House is the economic importance of the equine industry in Wellington-Halton Hills.”
On March 12, the province government announced that it had directed the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. to implement a number of proposals, including “stopping annual payments to the horse racing industry by ending the slots-at-racetracks program on March 31, 2013.”
“The equine industry has a significant presence in Wellington-Halton Hills. In fact, I would guess that many hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of my constituents are employed in the industry in one way or another, from the farmer to the horse people to the breeder to the veterinarian. It’s an important component, even a pillar, of the economy of rural Ontario.”
While Arnott said he firmly believe that the government of Ontario needs to get its spending under control, “I do not believe that this should include measures which would kill the horse racing industry.”
Arnott viewed the current funding arrangement not as a subsidy but as an agreement between the industry and the government which allowed for the installation of slot machines at racetracks, a revenue-sharing agreement which has been mutually beneficial for the horse racing industry as well as for the government.
“I want to see Ontario’s horse racing industry remain strong and vibrant for years to come.”
Arnott contended that Premier Dalton McGuinty chose “to frame this issue in a divisive way, pitting urban against rural Ontario.”
Arnott stated the premier has said “If it’s a choice between home care or horse racing, I choose home care.”
“What utter nonsense.” Arnott said. “What about the billions wasted since he came to office in 2003? What about eHealth, the hundreds of millions of dollars thrown out the window? What about the annual Auditor General’s reports listing page after page of extravagance, waste and inefficiency? What about the growing sunshine list that comes out this Friday? What about the Ontario cricket club and the Liberal slush fund that was handed out before the 2007 election? What about the hundreds of millions of dollars that the government will have to pay in penalties for cancelling the gas-fired electricity plants in Oakville and Mississauga to prop up Liberal incumbents who were likely facing defeat?”
Arnott then asked about the impact would have on host municipalities [of the slot machines]?
“Does this not represent new downloading? Why doesn’t he admit that the gaming market in Ontario is already saturated and he needs to close three slots facilities immediately to make way for the planned mega casinos that he intends to announce soon?”
“Why doesn’t he tell the people of Ontario that his vision of a 21st-century economy in Ontario is drawing desperate people to a mega casino and fooling them into emptying their pockets to satisfy a spending habit that he just can’t break?”
Arnott said “The people of Wellington-Halton Hills believe in the promise of the future.
“They believe that with the right leadership, the right policies rooted in the right principles, Ontario’s best days are yet to come. As their representative, I believe in the promise of the future as well, and it is increasingly clear to all of us on this side of the house that the promise of the future begins with the defeat of the McGuinty Liberal government.”
