Province Kicks-in $30-Million for Ontario Racehorse Breeding
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
The Ontario government said it will extend its support for the province’s Horse Improvement Program, which aims to encouraging horse breeding. The extension will last until 2015. Over the next two years, $30-million will be allocated to support equine breeding.
The program was initiated by the Horse Racing Industry Transition Panel which had recommended it. The group was created after the Liberal government announced it was ending the Slots at Racetracks Program.
“Continuing to invest in this forward-looking program gives the horse racing and breeding industry confidence there will be a future here for Ontario-bred racehorses," said Kathleen Wynne, Premier and Minister of Agriculture and Food.
One of the panelists, former tory minister John Snobelen, called the plan “great news for Ontario-bred weanlings and yearlings and a strong encouragement for breeders in rural Ontario who are building on a legacy of great racehorses."
The transition panel is expected to resume talks with industry stakeholders starting June 21 to discuss options of how to best integrate horseracing into the provinces gaming plan.