The Lakeshore Horse Racing Association is very concerned about a new contract proposed by the provincial government for race tracks like the one in Leamington.
Dr. Paul Branton with the association says the province wants to negotiate only with Woodbine in Toronto. Other tracks across Ontario would sign off on it, but Branton is not satisfied Woodbine will take the other tracks concerns into consideration. He calls it a "non-starter."
"Many people are afraid of Woodbine because they're so big and can hurt so many people in different ways," he says. "We're basically saying we're not holding our nose because if this goes through, we don't know if it can be reversed. We're worried if we're even going to be in the game, down the road."
Branton says there is no reason to rush. He says the Lakeshore group has two years left on its contract and has a two-year extension after that. He suspects politics are at play.
"It was asked is there a political reason why you're rushing this, and they always said no, but it came out at a meeting last week they said we better get going because there's an election coming," Branton tells BlackburnNews.com.
Branton says horse racers have a list of demands of the province including greater transparency, not less; and more say at the table, not less. If the province wants to negotiate with just one track, he suggests the tracks democratically choose their representative in talks.
The group approached county council Wednesday night for support. It got it. Now the request for support will go to individual municipalities in Essex County.
