Slots won’t reopen under track deal
The Ontario government has announced new slots deals with several horse racing tracks — but Fort Erie isn’t among them.
Just after 5 p.m. Friday, the minister of finance released a statement saying slots deals are being signed with tracks, but that Fort Erie “declined to accept slots.”
Fort Erie Race Track cut a deal to accept “additional financial support” but not slots.
“We worked with our partners in the horse racing industry, and have agreed on packages, which include funding and/or slots at racetracks,” said Finance Minister Vic Fedeli in the statement.
“These packages are designed to directly support the horse racing industry and rural communities.”
The slots deal was negotiated between Ontario Lottery and Gaming and Fort Erie Live Racing Consortium, which operates the track.
Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates and Fort Erie Mayor Wayne Redekop both blasted the move, saying it costs the town the
chance at seeing as many as 300 new jobs created.
“This backroom deal trading dollars for slots tramples the efforts of Fort Erie families and horse people throughout the region to secure a future for the Fort Erie race track,” said Gates in a statement released Saturday.
Prior to being elected premier in June, Ford said he was interested in reopening the slots in Fort Erie as a means to create jobs.
“The premier committed to return slots to Fort Erie, not cash,” Redekop said in the statement posted to the town’s website.
“This is not a ‘promise made, promise kept’ but rather a ‘promise made, promise fudged, promise not kept.’”
Most of the seven members on the racing consortium board are also members of the agency charged with attracting jobs to Fort Erie, the economic development and tourism corporation.
Several town councillors confirmed they were not aware of any slots deal on the table.
Fort Erie EDTC issued a statement Saturday evening noting its members on the consortium all signed non-disclosure agreements — which, it said, prevent them from revealing most of the details of the agreement.
It did state OLG’s offer was non-negotiable, and defended the decision to take the financial boost instead of the slots and the jobs they would have created.
“Being bound by the non-disclosure confidentiality agreement, the FELRC cannot disclose details of the offer until granted permission, it can be said, however, that the board deliberated at length and the only clear path to meeting (our goals), namely bolster horse racing and ensure horse racing is more sustainable, was to accept the offer that they believe had the greatest benefit,” the statement read.
“Equal deliberation was had by the board as to the community expectations and significant disappointment that would result from their choice of options. The FELRC board is confident that, given the offer and conditions they were presented with, that any reasonable person under those circumstances would have chosen the same path.”
Redekop, in the town’s statement, blasted Jim Thibert, general manager of the town’s EDTC, claiming Thibert has a conflict of interest because he also sits on the board of horse racing consortium.
Thibert could not be reached for comment.