INNISFIL - Workers at Georgian Downs racetrack say they are facing an uncertain future after last year’s decision by the provincial Liberals to end the Slots at Racetracks program (SARP).
But odds are good that a slots facility will remain at Georgian Downs.
Officials in the horse industry say 55,000 jobs across the province are on the line.
About 80 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) work at the Innisfil oval. Full- and part-time employees include kitchen staff (chefs, first cooks, second cooks, dishwashers, short order cooks, etc.), bartenders, servers, gift shop staff, maintenance staff for the track, mutuel tellers and hostesses.
If the Slots at Racetracks program is cut, the Georgian Downs racetrack workers will lose their jobs as part of a greater industry-wide collapse, says Sharon DeSousa, PSAC regional executive vice-president for Ontario.
“Now that it’s served her purpose, she’s getting rid of it.”
“Over 80 workers and their families are dealing with the insecurity and stress of losing their jobs. This government is playing games with the livelihoods of these families and taking more good jobs away from this community," she said. "What is truly heartbreaking is that none of this is necessary and these families are suffering because the government is failing to realize it’s cutting a program that works for everyone.”
The SARP agreement — created under the government of former Conservative premier Mike Harris more than a decade ago — used to see 10% of gambling revenues going to the tracks, 10% to people in the horse industry, 5% to the host municipality and 75% going to the government.
DeSousa said alliance representatives have spoken to a number of members at Georgian Downs recently.
"A few remarks of interest that were expressed by the workers were (that) management is saying they have no idea what is going to happen now that the Slots at Racetrack program is over. They don’t know if they might have to drastically reduce hours, close their doors or stay open," she said.
A spokesman for Great Canadian Gaming, owners of Georgian Downs, could not shed any light on the facility’s future, Tuesday.
"We cannot provide any comment at this time," said Howard Blank, vice-president of corporate communications for Great Canadian Gaming.
PSAC launched a Fight Back campaign last weekend to put pressure on Liberal delegates — who will choose their next leader this weekend and who Ontario’s interim premier will be — to vote for candidates who plan to protect the Slots at Racetracks program, or delay its elimination until a responsible transition is set in place. The alliance’s intention is to ensure that good jobs are part of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation’s (OLG) modernization plan.
"We asked the government in March 2012 to decouple OLG from the 1998 policy from the Slots at Racetrack program that said gaming can only be expanded at racetracks. They agreed and that policy no longer exists," said OLG spokesman Tony Bitonti. "The government also went further and cancelled the funding to the horse industry from the slot revenues in the 2012 budget."
OLG currently leases space at Georgian Downs, as it does for all its slot facilities. It does not own any tracks.
"Our modernization will ultimately have private-sector operators take over the day-to-day operation of our facilities," Bitonti said. "So now any interested private-sector operators can look at the gaming zone and look at the options it has. Does it make sense to stay put and possibly expand or should we relocate? They have to develop a business plan, work with the municipality on zoning issues, etc., and the OLG will have to authorize a commercially viable plan by any private-sector operator."
OLG will release the request for prequalification, the second part of its three-part procurement process for the zone that Georgian Downs is in, later this year, Bitonti said.
"This is to get a short list of the best of the best of the qualified gaming companies. These companies will then be invited to the request for proposal (RFP) stage: the bidding stage," he added.
Bitonti said gaming has a future at Georgian Downs.
"Innisfil continues to want to be a host community and ... it doesn’t appear that Barrie wants to be a host. So that means the gaming facility will stay in Innisfil," he said.
"We are currently working with all racetrack owners to negotiate a new lease agreement for a short term — three to five years — which will be transfered to the private-sector operator," he said. "This will give the new operators the time to determine what they want to do with the facility."
OLG currently has lease agreements with two sites: Western Fair in London and Kawartha Downs.
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