Page 2 - November 2008 The Game
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2 The Game, November 2008
Fort Erie Update By Perry Lefko
Canada’s Thoroughbred Racing Newspaper
Is 2008 the last year for Fort Erie RaceTrack?
Historic Fort Erie Racetrack may be in jeopardy of not operating beyond this season.
Nordic unveiled the project in May, 2007 with the intent of beginning the ground-breaking
in 2009. Ayers said Nordic does not want to assume the risk solely by itself considering the  nancial investment.
The track’s owner, Nordic Gaming Corporation, a subsidiary of El-Ad group headed by billionaire land developer Yitzhak (Isaac) Tshuva, is considering closing the picturesque border oval after this season unless it receives some assistance from the province towards a $300 million project that would be built next to the track.
Sources claim the “non-cash incentives” refer to $50 million in tax concessions spread out over 10 years. Niagara Falls MPP Kim Craitor would not comment on the  nancial details, only to say that the “ask” is “much more than what the public thinks.”
Richard Ayers, a spokesperson for Tshuva, said the track, which closed for racing on Oct. 28, has been sustaining operational losses of close to $4 million annually in that time and some $7 million in negative cash  ow. That is attributed to a decline in the slots business, which has dropped the average daily purses from almost $200,000 in 2002 to roughly $110,000 this year.
Nordic has not publicly issued a drop date concerning operating next season, but city
of cials and executives of the Ontario Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association have been told that track will be closed after the season unless the government partners in the project.
“This isn’t just a question of putting a project forward to save a racetrack, this is a project to save
a town,” Leslie added. “If you want the town of Fort Erie to  ourish in any way, this needs an injection
of something. We’ve got a man that’s willing to put $300 million into the town of Fort Erie and why on earth any common-sense person can’t stand back and say, ‘What’s the downside to the government?’ Well, what is the downside to the government: that they may have to give up some future tax revenue? If the project doesn’t go up, they’re going to have less tax- es coming out of Fort Erie. You’re going to have all those people out on the unemployment line. They’re going to have a town with no commerce. Nobody’s going to go to restaurants, hotels, dry cleaners, gas stations, on and on and on.
Ayers said Nordic is seeking “non-cash incentives” from the province for the project, which would include a 350-room hotel, conference centre, spa and 2,500 time-share condominiums as well as improvements to the grandstand and backstretch.
The track is the primary business in the town of 30,000 and Fort Erie mayor Doug Martin said there are 1,600 to 2,000 direct or indirect jobs that rely on the track. An analysis compiled by the town listed the economic impact of Fort Erie racetrack and its
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“That’s obviously a major hit (if the track closed),” Martin said. “It’s a major industry that would be closing down in Fort Erie. We would lose that revenue.”
“Why this has stalled as badly as it has, I don’t know. I really don’t know. There’s days I think there’s more to this story than people are telling me. Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t.”
It would be a major hardship for many horsemen, whose incomes are dependent
on racing horses at the Fort. Trainer/owner Nick Gonzalez, who is vice-president of the Ontario HBPA, said if Fort Erie closed,
90% of the trainers and riders would be out of work because there wouldn’t be room to accommodate the horses at Woodbine due to limited stall space.
“I can’t believe that it’s taken this long,” Gonzalez said. “To me and anyone that knows anything about it, it’s a no-brainer.”
“Should something happen to Fort Erie, a lot of people would have (no work), and that’s only the human factor,” he said. “There’s also 800 to 1,000 horses, out of those how many would be good enough to race at Woodbine. There’s a lot of ways to you can look at it and there would be a lot of rami cations if some- thing should happen to Fort Erie.”
Martin said changes in the government cabinet have impacted the process because the new ministers need time to be briefed on the proposal.
HBPA president Sue Leslie, who has worked tirelessly with Gonzalez to keep the track operating next year and for many years to come, is trying to be positive, realizing the shutdown would have of the town.
“In its simplest of terms, yeah, $300 million, what a great opportunity, I’m supporting it,” Craitor said. “But I also understand there’s some accountability to this. It’s a commercial/residential development, so (the government has) to take that into consideration: How do we work and ensure that we’re doing it in
a proper manner. By itself it looks very simple, but you’re still talking about taxpayers dollars.
But Craitor said the issue is complicated for various reasons.
“It’s not like a General Motors and you want to make a decision if you want to invest. This is a
little different,” Craitor added. “It’s commercial, it’s residential, but the tag-on to this – why we’d want
to do it – is because the racetrack is part of this. That’s what I believe (is taking so long). How do you make it  t? There are guidelines for any government having expenditures.”
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Nordic’s proposal will be decided by the province’s new Minister of Economic Development Michael Bryant and George Smitherman, whose portfolio, Energy and Infrastructure, includes the slots.
Leslie recently met with Tom Allison, the chief of staff for Bryant.
“He was a real gentleman. He seemed sincere
in his discussion with me,” she said. “He said they’re going to get the horsemen an answer. He seemed sincere in saying the government does
have interest in the project, that it’s not dead. I take the man at his word. You know how you get a gut feeling when you’re sitting across the table from somebody? The gut feeling when I left him is
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