Harness Racing BC

Subject: Your Voice Matters – Quick Survey for BC Horse Racing Study

Dear HRBC Members,

As you may know, the BC Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is conducting astudy to understand the economic, employment, and social contributions of theStandardbred and Thoroughbred horse racing industries in 2024.

To conduct the study, the Ministry has partnered with MNP (a national consulting firm) andMustel Group (a research firm) to collect industry insights—including through a quicksurvey.

Mustel is Coming to Fraser Downs

• Starting Monday, February 10, Mustel team members will be on-site at Fraser Downs Racetrack to conduct short, 5-minute surveys with backstretch workers.

• As a small thank-you, each participant will receive a $5 Tim Hortons gift card!

• Your insights help ensure the industry’s contributions are well understood andrepresented.

Your Privacy is Protected

Rest assured, all information collected will be confidential. Data will only be reported insummary form, and no individual participants will be identified in the published report.

We truly appreciate your time and effort in contributing to this important study! If you haveany questions:

• • For project-related inquiries → Contact Bill McNeill, Director of Racing, GamingPolicy and Enforcement Branch: bill.mcneill@gov.bc.ca

• • For survey-related questions → Contact Josh O’Neill, Vice President of MustelGroup: joneill@mustelgroup.com or 604-742-2245

On behalf of Harness Racing BC Board of Directors,

Thank you for your participation.

Please be advised that an email that contains a dedicated link for each individual to complete the online survey related to the economic impact assessment being conducted by MNP on behalf of the province will be sent out today to horse breeders, owners and trainers that have supplied us (GPEB) with their email addresses.

The survey will be available online for completion until February 14^th.

The province would greatly appreciate your association’s support for the survey to ensure that the contributions of all industry participants in BC are included. This is an opportunity to demonstrate the impact of BC’s horse racing industry on the provincial economy. 

Related to breeders, we will be sending the CTHS and HRBC suggested wording for an email, as well as a link to the survey, that can be sent directly from the CTHS and HRBC to your members that are breeders and not Licenced by GPEB, as we do not have email contact information for those individuals.

A pdf version of the updated/final copy of the online survey questions is attached for reference.

Thank you for your participation. Please click the following link to complete and submit the survey:  https://survey.givingopinions.ca/c406BChorseracing

We are excited to announce that the Standardbred Canada Racing Representative will be available on Thursday, January 30th, from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (PST).

This is a fantastic opportunity to prepare for the upcoming racing season! Please note that all horses racing or qualifying for the first time in 2025 must have their eligibility fees paid. Additionally, all owners, drivers, and trainers are required to have their SC memberships and licenses renewed.

For those participating in claiming races, it is essential to have a claiming authorization electronically recorded with Standardbred Canada, along with a valid Coggins certificate. You can conveniently email both documents to flambororep@standardbredcanada vboom@standardbredcanada.ca, or lmarchant@standardbredcanada.ca.  
Claiming authorization is attached.

If you can’t make it during these special hours, don’t worry! Melanie Rayner, the SC Racing Representative for Fraser Downs, will be available on race days starting two hours prior to post time and continuing until the last race concludes. You can reach her at (905) 858-3060 ext 874 or via email at flambororep@standardbredcanada.ca

For any inquiries outside of race days, our offices are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (EST).

We wish you a successful racing season ahead!