NDP head to Niagara today

NDP leader Andrea Horwath was also reaching out to the horse racing and farm industry today, and she kept up her new attacks on the Liberals that we first yesterday.

The first race of the season at a track struggling to survive after the Liberal government cut support from slot machine revenue for horse racing, and NDP leader Andrea Horwath is promising to turn that around.

“This track has a bright future if we can get the slots back here and that’s something that we’re committed to.”

Campaigning to hold on to the Niagara riding for the NDP, Horwath is telling Fort Erie and other race tracks what they want to hear: she’ll bring back the slots.

“In a way that supports rural communities and fantastic tracks like this historic tack.”

Earlier, Horwath was in St. Catharines trying to win a seat that’s been held by Liberal Jim Bradley since 1977, touring a downtown redevelopment.

The builders say the area is going through a renaissance but there’s been no help from the provincial Liberal government

“Nothing, there’s currently no grants that we’re aware of from the provincial government,” says developer Michael Mazzonlino.

If Horwath wants to win the riding, they say the NDP has to support their projects.

“To win this riding they’ve got to focus on downtown development and investing in small business people and property owners.”

Horwath says she’s listening, and it resonates for her as a Hamiltonian.

“And I’ll take that back to the team because I come from a city has has the same struggles.”

Despite the friendly company, after a new, more aggressive Horwath emerged in Monday’s leaders’ debate with Kathleen Wynne, she was on the attack again against the Liberals.

“It is a party rife with corruption regardless of how they change the seats at the cabinet table. The same corrupt Liberal party that brought us the gas plants, e-health, ORNGE air ambulance.”