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Secret plan to close slots at Ajax Downs puts 1,700 jobs at risk
February 20, 2018
(Queen’s Park) – Perth-Wellington MPP Randy Pettapiece, PC Critic for Horse Racing, questioned the government today about the planned closure of the casino at Ajax Downs. The move, revealed by the Liberal agriculture minister Jeff Leal in a February 7th Peterborough Examiner article, puts hundreds of quality rural jobs in jeopardy.
“The Minister let the horse out of the barn. He revealed that OLG will be shutting down Ajax Casino, threatening the future of horseracing at Ajax Downs,” said the MPP during today’s Question Period. “Why are you putting 1,700 jobs in rural Ontario in jeopardy with a secret deal to shut down Ajax Casino?”
Pettapiece noted that the Town of Ajax was caught completely by surprise. The Mayor of Ajax, Steve Parish, issued a statement saying: “I think the government has been caught red handed in their deception. It is amazing how far they will go to cover up their backroom deal.”
According to Pettapiece, this latest move is part of a long record of disrespect for rural communities by the Liberal government.
“We already know the Liberals secretly planned to kill the Slots at Racetracks program – fully aware it could ‘collapse’ the industry,” said Pettapiece. “Now, we discover that the government has apparently cut a secret deal that will likely destroy Quarter Horse racing in this province.”
The MPP called on the government to support the Town of Ajax’s request for an independent, fair, public review of the decision. The government refused to commit to doing a review.
