A Submission from the Ontario New Democratic Party
QUEEN’S PARK, October 29, 2013 – Today in Question Period Taras Natyshak, NDP horse racing advocate and MPP for Essex, called on the government to make the findings of their horse racing track audits public.
“The Premier charges that the Slots at Racetracks Program was not accountable, but she is the one who is keeping racetrack audits top secret,” said Natyshak. “Not-for-profit track operators like the Fort Erie Race Track have opened their books because they have nothing to hide. Now they are the ones getting cut out of the Liberal plan because of their honesty.”
The Minister of Rural Affairs ignored the question and defended his government’s decision to cut Fort Erie Race Track out of the Liberal plan for horse racing in Ontario.
“The Premier has a panel on horse racing, and she has a panel on openness, but she’d rather not say how much Woodbine executives paid themselves with the SARP money meant for horses because this government knows how to back their own winner. It knows how to turn its back on horse people and track workers in Fort Erie and communities all across rural Ontario,” said Natyshak.
“When will the Premier make the audits public so that we can see how much for-profit giants like Woodbine spent on bonuses, perks, reserves and compensation?
AUDIO: http://bit.ly/1aEUcS3 (.mp3)
VIDEO: http://bit.ly/1irFXRy (.mp4)
(Niagara At Large encourages all you who dare to share your first and last name with any comment you care to share below to join in the debate on this issue.)
Niagara At Large 
let them have their flutter at the casinos etc. Leave the horses out of it. they are the ones that suffer the most.
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It would appear that the apple has truly not fallen far from the tree with respect to Wynn’s style of government and McSquinty’s.
I applaud the Fort Erie people and all those other rural (off the Liberal radar communities) for what they have done to support their horse racing cause.
It’s truly a shame when the people of municipality have democratically expressed the direction they would like to take on an issue and the provincial government has said NO. And why because unfortunately it can!
We need to rid the municipalities of this wanton disregard for their wellbeing and return the power to the people of these jurisdictions.
Or we need to elect a government that will respect the wishes of the people and not a select group of insiders who have some way or another influenced provincial decision making.
I have a funny feeling that we are going to see more of this type of thing from the Liberals. Why? They have nothing to lose…. they have an agenda….and they are eager to cram in more junk legislation, handouts….before they inevitably lose the next election.
Sadly just sayin……
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