Premier McGuinty, Are You Listening?
Members of Ontario's horse racing industry ask Premier Dalton McGuinty what the future holds for their industry if the Slots at Racetrack partnership is ended
These are some of the more than 60,000 people involved with horse racing in Ontario, individuals that make up the heartbeat of Ontario's vital and valuable industry.
Tens of thousands of Ontarians who rely on the horse racing and breeding industry continue to brace for the impact of the Ontario Liberals' plan to ravage the industry through changes to the OLG Slots at Racetrack Program. Not only have Ontarians vocally opposed expanded gaming as proposed, but they overwhelmingly support the current slots-at-racetracks model. Standardbred Canada urges everyone impacted by these cuts to take action by spreading the message of how a strong horse racing industry benefits the province and the country.
Good video from the
Good video from the perpective of the thoroughbred sector of the horse racing industry. Did the thoroughbred people put some money into its production? If so, perhaps the standardbred and quarter horse people should be doing likewise. I agree with John Hill that these messages need to be to be mainstream. Is there some way to get them on tv without paying huge advertising fees? Or get them to go viral on youtube/facebook.
John Hill you hit the nail
John Hill you hit the nail right on the head. I have commented many times on this site about how horseracing needs more public support and recognition. The politicians DO only listen to the public - voters and potential voters are all that matters to them. I AM a member of the general public who is trying to explain the horseracing situation to everyone I know and it appears to me that those I speak to get it but that's not nearly enough. Start telling the slot patrons in rural communities that they might have to bus it to Toronto to gamble if the tracks close and see how much extra support that gets you. Most of them don't give 2 hoots about horse racing but they'll raise hell if they think they're losing their slot parlors. Tell parents that the slots might show up in the convenience stores near their schools, in Walmarts, malls, and many other easily accessible public places. Urge average folks to demand that this government leave well enough alone. Explain to those who depend on Niagara and Rama that a Toronto casino will only serve to draw partons away from them because anyone in the GTA who has to travel to their facilities now will just gamble closer to home.Try anything to get the horseracing story OUT THERE.
In reply to John Hill you hit the nail by LIZT
I couldn't agree more. The
I couldn't agree more. The video was a great start but overall too long for TV. I have been trying to get a race track involved in having a fun race with track supporters pulling bikes made up with names like Orang'e and Liberals etc and having the Liberal cart throw bags of money at the other carts.....the plan was to make it funny and hope that it went viral. So far I have not been able to get other involved in this project.
All parties, Standardbred
All parties, Standardbred Canada, OHRIA and any others need to get off gaming and into strategic partnerships with agriculture, Ontario Veterinarians and any other related business to racing /breeding. This coalition is the engine to stoke all communities affected and build capacity at the community levels to advocate to mayors, MPPs of all parties that this is not going to happen! Bring also the main stream media into play by actively preparing daily press releases sent to each racing community editors/managers including the big TO press arenas. I would also suggest advocating with Gambling addiction agencies to lobby the " Liberal agenda to increase the number of casinos and off track slots as a hazard to mental health issues.
Go for it BUT DO IT NoW!
The botton line is you do not reduce deficit by job loss; this action is a shell game and moving money around not creating revenue streams and jobs.
I would also play up the discussion between Duncan and Drummond whereby Drummond says ..."I didn't say that..." and pront what Drummond actually said in his report. This I would send to every MPP in the legislature.
No, Premier McGuinty is not
No, Premier McGuinty is not listening, because he has heard it all before, ditto for Dwight Duncan. This is a very good promo but our message needs to be in the mainstream media because all the political types listen to is public opinion.We should be getting this message out at all racetrack slots as well as have petitions to sign for the patrons who wants the slots to remain as they are.Obviously we can't count on the politicians, their main concern is keeping their jobs, so we have to take it to the people via t.v. and newspaper ads. Its now or never (March 2013)
great to hear carol mott
great to hear carol mott narration.
there is one idea just sitting under all of the politicians noses and thats the unbeleivable power that single game sports betting holds should the House and Senate push Joe Comartin`s private member`s bill through.
and where it could work for the racetracks is a Test Market approach that would force all particiapnts to ONLY go the racetrack facilities to place these wagers...singles, parlays, teasers, futures....
maybe its a two year test drive allowing for the tracks to welcome a new type of bettor,,,upwardly mobile 19-49 through all its doors with fistfulls of sports betting money...and wouldnt that set the stage for some intriguing marketing opportunites...
and the two year program would give mcguinty and godfrey the time cover they need to reevaluate their stance on racing, weigh the pros and cons of this single game betting explosion and the transition from lameass Pro-line.
this is probably the only way to save the on-track day in a dozen or so locations in ontario.
jctoronto