Harness Racing B.C. is suing Great Canadian Entertainment.
Legal action was filed against Great Canadian (GCE), the parent company of Elements Casino as the operator of Fraser Downs, after talks broke down between the two.
The issue centres around GCE’s plans to close the backstretch and the six barns located on the Cloverdale Fairgrounds in Surrey for two to three months to deal with a massive rat infestation. The rat problem began about five years ago, according to Harness Racing B.C. (HRBC).
In a press release, president Kelly MacMillan said HRBC has been in regular meetings with GCE since March 13, when they received notice of the impending closure, in an effort to keep the backstretch open.
They were originally told they had to be out by May 2, but that was extended to May 30. The notice said all members had to be out of the barns so GCE could deal with the rat infestation.
“The problem we have with this is that the length of the closure would cut directly into horses’ training for the September-December racing season this year.” explained MacMillan. “That racetrack is the only proper training facility in the province and we’ve been paying GCE to use it for summer training for 35 years. Not enough trained horses means no racing, period.”
He called GCE’s unwillingness to budge on the issue a “callous disregard” toward both the concerns raised and the solutions offered by HRBC and its members. He added GCE’s plans for a complete closure for 60 to 90 days would lead to a loss of income for dozens of families, and potentially cause a complete shutdown of future races at the 5/8 oval in Cloverdale.
“We work at Fraser Downs throughout the year,” said MacMillan. “We have 218 members who would be impacted, and there are 75 to 100 people that work at that racetrack during the racing season. This doesn’t even include all the other people who support the industry, like local farmers.”
MacMillan added that HRBC offered to pay for the pest control services over a short-term period.
“They refused,” noted MacMillan. “As a last-ditch effort to keep our workers and animals on-site, we asked GCE to keep at least one barn open through the summer months to keep them on-site and continue training, but they rejected this.”
If the barns had to be closed, HRBC also asked GCE to keep only the training facilities open.
“The bottom line is that we have repeatedly offered to work with GCE on a joint solution to clean up Fraser Downs with the lowest impact on our operations so we can continue our season,” said MacMillan. “HRBC is committed to working together with GCE, the City of Surrey, the Province, and other stakeholders to come up with a mutually beneficial solution. The alternative is a significant reduction to our business, with a possibility of closing it down completely.”
Even for this year's Cloverdale Rodeo, the Bit-A-Bling Grand Entry Team had to stable their horses in a temporary structure elsewhere on the grounds because of the rat problem.
Cloverdale Rodeo and Exhibition Association president Kathy Sheppard, told the Cloverdale Reporter that normally the team would be housed in the barns.
The Reporter reached out to GCE for comment and received the following statement from Chuck Keeling, the executive VP of external relations.
"Given that there is active litigation commenced by HRBC to see to impede our pest control efforts, we are not able to comment at this time," the statement read. "We intend to vigorously defend the litigation so that we can ensure the health and safety of HRBC members, our team members, and guests."
Harness racing has been held at Fraser Downs since 1976.
HRBC is a not-for-profit society that represents all trainers, drivers, owners, breeders and grooms for standardbred racing in the province. They filed the lawsuit against GCE May 20. The lawsuit will be heard in front of a B.C. Supreme Court judge on May 28.
