Two of the three main provincial political parties had attendees at the Wellington County meeting on the equine industry, and they were greeted warmly.
Wellington Halton Hills MPP Ted Arnott said the Liberal government’s suddenly dropping the partnership it had with the equine industry in order to move slots facilities and casinos to larger urban centres is “a kick in the teeth to the equine industry.”
Arnott pointed out that what the Liberals suddenly began classifying as a “subsidy” is actually a partnership between the government and the equine industry.
Just months before the announcement, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan specifically lauded the “partnership” in a press release.
Arnott said the agreement that saw the horse industry receive a percentage of slots profits to be used for racing purses for hosting the slots facility “worked very well.”
He added he has met many constituents from his riding and received hundreds of phone calls since the government announcement killing the deal.
Arnott said the equine industry is “one of the pillars of the local economy of Wellington and Halton Hills,” and Grand River Raceway, also under threat because of the announcement, is “an important community centre.”
He said the Canadian economy appears to be doing well except in Ontario under the Liberals, where the province has lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs and has a $15 billion annual deficit and growing debt.
Arnott said despite recognizing the province is in trouble, the move to kill the partnership with the horsemen literally “writes off 60,000 jobs. It’s callous, brutal, and unacceptable.”
He said he has brought the issue to the legislature numerous times, and, “We are on your side.”
Perth Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece was also on hand. He spent all but five years of his life living on a farm and said he understands the plight of the rural areas.
He cited the confusion amongst the horse industry and all the other industries connected with it, and said people are still wondering “why the government is doing this.”
Pettapiece said the Liberal government is behaving like a bully and is greedy, too. “They are now attacking a small industry.”
Pettapiece said of the horse industry and the agreement with the government, “This is not something that needs fixing. This is one of the dumbest moves any government has made that I can remember.”
The New Democratic Party also had a representative at the meeting.
Past NDP candidate and vice president of the Wellington Halton Hills riding association Dale Hamilton told he crowd she plans to take the issue to the NDP caucus when it meets in Toronto so the other opposition party can understand what is happening to the equine industry.
All three speakers received a big round of applause.
Arnott in legislature
Two days later Arnott called upon the provincial government to focus on the urgent priorities that really matter to Ontarians.
“We have a jobs crisis in the province of Ontario. We have huge issues with respect to energy-and, of course, wind energy is a big issue in many ridings in the province of Ontario. We have the equine industry,” said Arnott.
“Mr. Speaker, I had the opportunity on Tuesday night to attend a big public meeting in Wellington County that was organized by the warden of Wellington county, Chris White, and the county council. There were hundreds of people there who were very, very concerned about the potential devastation of the equine industry because of the government’s decision to end the slots-at-racetracks program.”
Arnott again called on the government to reconsider its decision and to listen to the concerns of rural Ontario.
“Clearly, the government is not listening, but we would urge particularly the members of cabinet, who have an opportunity to speak in the inner sanctum, behind closed doors in the cabinet meetings, to seriously re-evaluate this issue, because I believe it’s going to cost taxpayers more than what it will save, if anything,” Arnott said.
