Harness racing's participants in New Brunswick continue to ponder their future in the face of funding cuts from the provincial government
.
Atlantic Standardbred Breeders Association member Robert Balcom told The Times & Transcript that, unlike other provinces, New Brunswick's government doesn't seem to have the appetite for harness racing and those in power don't seem to appreciate its value.
"Nobody's really kicked the can enough to get (the government) to see that it's worked in to be quite an industry in other places and we just have no one to believe those things can happen."
"The expense is getting too great," says owner-trainer Alan Jones. "The owners can't keep surviving. The economy is losing because it's moving to the Island."
While the government in New Brunswick pulled its $100,000 contribution to the Atlantic Sires Stake program "for the purposes of cost-effectiveness", other governments have reaped benefits.
"For every dollar ... the P.E.I. government contributes to the funding of harness racing on P.E.I., we return $10 back to the government," says Tom Clark, vice-chairman of the P.E.I. Harness Racing Industry Association.
While Clark warns the return on investment isn't immediate, he can see tremendous potential in New Brunswick where the greater Moncton area has around the same population as the province of P.E.I.
"There are a lot of billion-dollar programs, that I fully appreciate as a taxpayer, the New Brunswick government has to look at. I appreciate that; they've got to reel in that deficit. What's terribly disappointing is that they're cutting something that can actually create revenue for you."
To read the full article from The Times & Transcript, click here.
Whats disgraceful is that
Whats disgraceful is that the politicians in Nova Scotia are subdoed by the money Great Canadian Gaming Corporation has lobbied them with...The simple fact is that as long as GCGC spends more then the harness industry on lobbying they will win out this conversation about our industry and its survival. The politicians in PEI are well aware of our industry and the benefits to the AG sector, and as such have stepped up to support harness racing in its entirety. NB and NS need to do the same but are so blinded by the lobby dollar from those against further gaming in the province that we are in an up hill battle.... Going forward, Atlantic Canada needs to unite as one unit and one voice and talk to Federal gov't about this topic and let them know what is happening. These provinces havent spoke for horsemen and racetracks as one. It has to be professional and thorough, and the gov't will see that we are one huge sector of the agricultural industry, with major economic spin-off.
Absolutely disgraceful, what
Absolutely disgraceful, what New Brunswick needs is a group representing the harness racing community to step up and lobby the government for continued funding. A group that is not afraid to get in their faces, in front of media, at the provincial legislature, and present them with the facts, past, present. If the Meadowlands didn't have somebody like Jeff Gural to step up, the industry in New Jersey would be in ruins.
The local industry really needs people to get up off their behinds and fight, in Nova Scotia we had a great opportunity for a Racino. The provincial government is absolutely blind to the reality that this would have a tremendously positive impact on the local economy and regenerate the local harness racing industry. I don't recall of hearing that anybody put up resistance when they turned down the opportunity of $40 million of private funding for a proposed racino in Halifax, the politicians wouldn't have a clue. We need a group of local concerned people who will fight for the industry that we love.