Kawartha Downs gets some stability
Province announces new five-year funding agreement, but 2021 season will be trimmed to 18 race dates
Kawartha Downs has reached a five-year agreement with the province to keep harness racing and slots gaming at the Fraserville facility.
The Ontario government also announced Thursday amendments to a 19-year long-term funding agreement to offer an additional $3 million annually for five years to Ontario’s 15 racetracks for COVID-19 recovery. The province will work with the industry on a threeyear strategic plan, as well.
Kawartha Downs’ previous agreement expired at the end of the 2020 season.
The new agreement provides stability to a facility that has gone through a lot in the past eight years. It almost closed in 2013 and went into receivership when its former owner went bankrupt. In 2019, it was purchased by the lending company that was owed the money.
“The good news for us is we will be horse racing this year,” said Kawartha Downs president Richard Weldon.
There was concern in the industry some small tracks might not be part of Ontario Racing’s long-term plan.
Infrastructure Minister Laurie Scott, the Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock MPP, said this is a sign of the province’s and industry’s commitment to all 15 tracks.
“This is an injection for five years of $3 million per year that will flow through OLG to Ontario Racing to the 15 tracks,” Scott said.
“Under the previous government, there was an intention to have less than 15 tracks. This is a commitment to support a sustainable racing industry on a 15track model.
“I’m very happy for all the people who work at the track and all the businesses and industry associated with Kawartha Downs,” Scott said “It’s great, great news. It’s a step in helping to have growth. It’s something that is near and dear to us. In our area Kawartha Downs is very much a community and family base. When we could have spectators there is strong community support.”
Combined with new ownership at the track and casino, Scott said the Downs is in a good spot. “This is giving the most security to the viability of Kawartha Downs that we’ve seen in a long, long time.”
Weldon said ownership is committed to harness racing and has always argued the casino is necessary to making the economics work,” he said.
“Even when we didn’t have stability, we were gung-ho on (harness racing). We have supported the industry. When there was funding that was required and the government came through, it was always given to the horsepeople who needed it. We’ve supported them to the best extent we can and we think it has good longterm potential,” he said.
“There are lots of opportunities to expand it. We were talking about other types of entertainment in that facility but it has been difficult to do with COVID. We certainly think the horse racing is one of the basic tenants of the facility, along with the casino, and we think there are other ways we can expand that once we can allow the public to come in and enjoy it.”
Despite the track’s appeals for additional race dates, the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario has reduced Kawartha’s 2021 race dates from 21 to 18. We can support more and we used to have a lot more,” Weldon said.
Scott said she’s not privy to the discussions on race dates and isn’t sure if the pandemic’s impact is a factor. “Hopefully, as we recover from the pandemic, there are opportunities that will come forward for us,” Scott said.
Weldon said he’s not yet been briefed on how much of the $3 million will flow to KD. “I don’t know the specifics,” he said. He welcomes any assistance. “With everything that’s happened, I think we’ve come through this pretty well. We’re looking forward to horse racing again and looking forward to welcoming people in again,” he said.