Officials with the Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium sat down with officials from the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. on Tuesday, May 1, but it has been reported that no business plan was presented in regard to the possibility of the consortium operating the now-closed slots area at the Fort Erie Race Track
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An article by niagarafallsreview.ca explains that Fort Erie Mayor Doug Martin, economic development manager Jim Thibert, and the chairman of the town’s economic development agency, Claude Pilato, sat down with OLG officials on Tuesday afternoon in Burlington, Ont. The meeting reportedly took place in Burlington because there had been meetings earlier in the day between members of the OLG and Flamboro Downs in the general vicinity regarding the Dundas, Ont. raceway.
Fort Erie's Martin, Thibert and Pilato met with Larry Flynn, the OLG's vice-president, gaming, and Beth Webster, OLG's vice-president, marketing. Liberal MPP Kim Craitor, who had requested that the two sides get together and speak, was also at the meeting.
Although he wasn't present at the meeting, OLG Spokesman Tony Bitonti commented on the situation to niagarafallsreview.ca, stating, “What we found was they have a lot of homework to do before there’s a business plan presented.”
The report cites Mayor Martin as saying that the Fort Erie representatives had taken the initial meeting to simply assess the OLG's "appetite" for the FELRC to come in and run the gaming area at the raceway, not to already present a business plan just yet. The FELRC currently operates racing operations at the historic track.
Although no firm plans for a second meeting have been made as of yet, Bitonti said that the OLG would be open to meeting with representative from the town in the future.
(With files from niagarafallsreview.ca)