The following notice was sent to members of Ontario Equestrian on Aug. 18th:
As our sport is beginning to re-open and we are establishing parameters of the “new normal”, OE continues to advocate on behalf of our industry and for horses in Ontario.
In addition to running the For the Herd Emergency Fundraiser, which has raised over $200,000 since April, we have been working diligently with Equestrian Canada (EC) in an effort to secure federal funding through Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and provincial funding through the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) for working equines across the province.
OE recently sent a letter to Minister Ernie Hardeman at OMAFRA in hopes that he would support our case to include Ontario’s working equines in the federal AgriRecovery program through AAFC. This particular program is a 60:40 cost sharing initiative, between the federal government and provincial governments.
To review the letter from OE to Minister Hardeman, please click HERE:
After receiving our letter, Minister Hardeman agreed to a call which included directors of the OE board, OE’s Executive Director and Equestrian Canada to help us work towards our inclusion of the AgriRecovery fund for working equines.
During a positive initial conversation with Minister Hardeman, we were notified that we need to clearly illustrate the negative financial impact that COVID-19 has played on Ontario businesses with working equines. Our next steps will involve a survey out to the membership to collect data which will hopefully aid us in securing ArgiRecovery funding for our industry. More details will be provided about this survey in a later email.
We thank you all for your support of the For the Herd fundraiser and for the team at the OE office. Our community is strong and passionate and will continue to grow as we advocate for the working equines across our province.
If you have any further questions about our update or our letter to Minister Hardeman, we ask that you email us directly at: info@ontarioequestrian.ca
