Union Calls for Halt of Slots Removal
The President of one of the most powerful trade unions in Ontario, the Canadian Auto Workers Unions (CAW) has called on the local government to put on hold its decision to withdraw slot machines from local horse racing tracks.
Ken Lewnza believes that stopping slots entertainment at these tracks could realistically wipe out Ontario's racing and breeding industries, which made a direct contribution of $2.3 billion to the province's national income in 2010.
According to Lewenza, up to 55,000 Ontarians could find themselves unemployed if the government goes ahead with its decision.
With the Union calling for a slots removal halt, the President said: "The government shouldn't be taking a step that will ruin these people's lives and harm the whole economy on a whim, without at least clearly demonstrating what the net social and economic impacts will be and why this is a good thing to be doing."
The Canadian Auto Workers Union represents over 7,000 casino and race track workers across the country.
Fort Erie Affected by Slots Decision
A classic example of how things will look around the province can be seen with the case of Fort Erie. The Slots closed in April, with 300 people immediately losing their jobs. Only two months later, the Fore Erie Live Racing Consortium said that the Fort Erie Race Track, an iconic 115 year old track, will be closing in December, meaning the loss of employment for another 240 people.
"There has been no dialogue whatsoever with the people who are affected by this," said the mayor of Fort Erie, Doug Martin. "This isn't just a bunch of rich horse owners. This is just a lot of everyday working people who are trying to make a living."
CAW Backs RacingFuture Appeal
The Canadian Auto Workers Union has announced that it is giving its full support to efforts by RacingFuture.com to pressure the government into changing its mind, or at the very least giving more thought to its decision.
RacingFuture.com sent an open letter to the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, demanding an "immediate halt to all further slot machine withdrawals from racetracks at least pending a detailed review of impacts and alternatives."
The idea of a review is supported by Fort Erie mayor, Martin. "It's time to put a hold on all this and reassess it before we go forward," he said of the government's plans. "I hope the government actually listens. They ran this through without any debate and now we're getting this response. This I think is the deciding time, we have to regroup and find a way to make this work."
