OTTAWA – New Tecumseth Mayor Mike MacEachern is calling for changes to horse racing and breeding industry legislation at the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO) annual conference this week in Ottawa.
MacEachern will be asking the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Rural Affairs to rethink the changes it announced to Bill 55 earlier this year in March and how it will affect the racing and breeding industries, specifically through the elimination of slots at racetracks.
“I would like the government to revise the changes proposed in Bill 55 and seek further consultation with those in the horse racing and breeding industry before any further changes to the Slots at Racetrack Program are instituted,” MacEachern said.
Last night (Monday, Aug. 20), MacEachern hosted a meeting of the Primary Urban Settlement Area representatives. The group, which includes New Tecumseth, strives to work together to create efficiencies and better serve the public.
The New Tecumseth mayor is one of 1,600 delegates at the conference, which brings together members at all three levels of government to come up with solutions to municipal challenges and plans for the future.
Premier Dalton McGuinty, along with PC leader Tim Hudak and NDP leader Andrea Horwath are featured speakers at this year’s conference. There are also 15 federal and provincial ministers participating in the conference.
This year’s program features about 50 plenary sessions and workshops and over 75 speakers, reflecting the broad scope of municipal responsibilities. Priority topics include leadership, municipal law, infrastructure, energy and conservation, public sector pensions, policing costs, accessibility, social housing, planning, water and wastewater treatment, waste diversion and biodiversity. Sessions will also cover pressing issues affecting municipalities, ranging from green energy and waste diversion to service delivery and infrastructure.
An abbreviated conference program can be downloaded from AMO’s website at www.amo.on.ca. Conference news releases, fact sheets and presentations from a number of key presenters will be posted on AMO’s web page throughout the duration of the conference at www.amo.on.ca.
You can also follow the conference on Twitter @AMOPolicy or using the hashtag #AMO2012.