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Mohawk Racetmck's backstreth to r ema in cIoR WHowever. while the Woodblne backstretch wilI re-open on Mardi 1 befor. the April 20 seasori stairt~ the Mohawkc backstretch w#l re- main closed indefinitely. WEG President anud CEO Nkk Eavcs toid thc Champion Uic company simply îset in a posi- tion te reverse the decision it made Iast faau te close tht stretch in mid-Oecember. «Relative to the alternative, it was a real battit to make sure we could continue to support tht two raoetracks that we own, ht suid. *i think as a starting point were thrlhId We 1 been able to corne to an arrangement that ensures that bath Woodblne and Mohawk racetracks stay open.' Eaves noted tic believes ccononuc ctvfty wlhI remain retatively thc saune with the re- lease of 84 dates at Mohawk. One of Uic,. dates ncludes the $1-5 milion Pe-psi North Arnerica Cup, whkh has berorne ont of the standards of excellence in harness radng. Mohawk wuhll aise host the traditional stan- dardbred Summef Mme from late spring through to the faiL While .cdressing the media as a whole, faEà said it has been a chaflenging year, but he~s apprectative of the fact that the government took the time to know and undtrstand Uic reality behirid what a sustainable horse rac- ing industry ini this province cam and shoulci look like' Ht sud thet Uansitional funding agreement it has made with tht Province wihl provide sbor-um stability while the. company looksi Iat change and how It operates and delivers ts services. Woodbine and Mohawk are aise among 10 rcetracks that have reached an agreement with tht Ontarlo Lottery and Gaming Cor- poration to continue siots operations. Other agreemnents arc anticipated to be reached with othe racetracks in the comlng weeks and will take effect aiter the Siots-at--Race- track progam ends March 3 1. Agricultuire. Food and Rural Affairs Ministerj Ted McMeekln told tht media establishWng1 the agreement wth WEG, the la"est horst racing operator hICanada, ia an Important'î isttp as the govemment continues to work with the whobe industry to transition to mor e sustainable model. 1Me noted thefturet of horst racing is being renewed i Onaria 'Weve «ade great progreis together am wej have charted a new path for a viable sustain-i abie long-ternri horse raclng lndustry In On- ,Nevemade gratprogress together n m have charteda e pathfoa viable ssan able Ion-term horw ricinrig idstry ii On- itarc«*he said Ht added that wth a briqht future ahead, 'al we have to do is have the courage te contin- ut te embrace it. Details about transition plans for the horst Onitario Milister c# Agriulture Ted McMeekin (lt) istens as John Snobelen, a member of the gavernment's Horst Racng Indust" Transition Panel addresses tht media Thursday. rmclng lndustry and the full amounit belng given to it to become more sustainable and more customer-driven are expected te be re- vealed in the com-ing weeks. Tht Province has said its continuirug the rmc- ing and breeding incentive progam called the Horse Improvement Progrmm, and pro- viding animal welfmre supports. The. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will also monitor the Ontario Racing Commnission. Mayor Gord Krantz arid Ward 3 Councillor Cindly Lunau, who were bath at Thursday momirig's announcement at Woodbine, said bomme nEffl É ~bim o w m Lese f om bONTI4LY foi 48! întY,) With $2,995 dOwn E[xcltudes HSI MU3 ZA bmyat~i5. S~mi ;ii;UL cms kww v I~~~~~-~0 nom "**@Md~ et~Ar x:M t,4 ~ w 1ftL4. AMj grgi %-" tq Zm- . sdti #. ýM. ýi-~~M.*~*.i- ýt11 -.-.g Lease r, $189* 2.99%ýP 7 UMONNIY tfrr60 -xr'] Wt$.950 lown uIipHS Lease f rom $229. 02,&99A'o MMTI&Y f6Or*n r Lem a mowp ... - Wth $1.950dowvi lIudes HST J ".r t ý7etA*4 t t.1~ 4 n,,4,.ra.m .,gn,.-c.nlfhaI ,.t t .tn F vn '4rt."t t ,,, 1-.,I .e,.Jr..~ 4 mn. 'C . l~ "vit ~ - lat .t '~ . 4 a e si tt'M ; t .i . Tý t'4 5 .t t .t E. . nty. . e. a- ,~m. - r< m ,m, ..l W« ¶t.vk l ,'.a..'M%& ;wa.d 1. t-, r-ay *?~ l~ e~i 1~ i .ad '.uo .qfi "do" " ". m - âe1 M t O,'.Ttt %.da--. . Vntfh o,,., I0tLt4,..m T sed indefinitelyI they're optimistic: about the industry's fu- ture. *The skeleton is there, the framework is there, now we have to put meat on those bones and build around that skeleton and frame- n work,« sald Krantz, adding for a while, there was a cloud of uncertainty that hovered over the hourse racing industry that has now been Krnzsaid theres a better understandinqj from the governmenr about how important the industry is and Its spin-off jobs to the eco- nomic heaith of Onitario. Lunau added that the industry has already taken a big hit with yearling sales declining ;a last year, and people downsizing their opera- L tiens. 'm hoping that this news puts the industry on a good sound footing and that ut can now rebuild,"she said. Bill ODonnell, president of tht Campbellvllle- based Central Ontario Standardbred Associa- tion. told the Champion in a phone interview the recent news seems encouraging. »It's a step. and hopefully there will be more (news) to follow and hopefully more to share in corning ddays and wtvtkn.J lî i did, ôdiriu that it's been a rollercoaster of a ride over the last year. Juhao Le con be reached at ie(&miltoncanadi anchampion.comn or on Twitrer (aJuloaMitton- News.