Hatfield: Ontarians still paying the price for Liberal failures after horse breeders win their fight for damages

WINDSOR – Percy Hatfield MPP (Windsor–Tecumseh), NDP critic for OLG and horse racing, has released a statement after the Ontario Superior Court ruled that the previous Liberal government breached the rights of standardbred horse breeders when it cancelled the Slots at Racetracks Program without notice:

“This court judgement confirms what we already knew. The previous Liberal government was unfair to horse people when it suddenly broke a longstanding agreement with breeders by abruptly cancelling the Slots at Racetracks Program. This decision destroyed the livelihoods of breeders and tens of thousands of jobs were lost in rural Ontario.

The Liberals trampled on the rights of people in this province, and Ontarians are still paying the price. Once again it is taxpayers who are left on the hook to pay for Liberal mistakes.

The plaintiffs have secured an important victory for horse people, and the communities that depend on the breeding industry, after many years of campaigning with the support of the NDP. The attorney general should accept the judge’s ruling, and not waste even more public money trying to appeal it.”