Great Canadian Entertainment, operator of Georgian Downs, has indicated the future of harness racing at the Innisfil, Ont. racetrack will be significantly impacted after the site's casino operator announced it is seeking to relocate its gaming operations in the coming years.

Gateway Casino and Entertainment introduced its plan at town council last month to relocate its gaming operations from the Georgian Downs property to a 25-acre site it purchased approximately 10 minutes south of the racetrack on Reive Boulevard in Cookstown, the location of the shuttered Innisfil Creek Golf Course, which recently closed due to the town's South Innisfil Creek Drain reconstruction project. Gateway is seeking a ministerial zoning order from town council to expedite planning for the move as its lease at Georgian Downs will be expiring.  

“As the operator of Georgian Downs since 2005, we recognize we play an important role in the province’s horse racing industry,” Chuck Keeling, a vice-president for Great Canadian, told InnifsilToday. “We are disappointed in Gateway’s longer term desire to potentially relocate their casino operations … our priority currently and for the short term future is the continuation of live racing at the facility. Longer term, such a relocation of Gateway’s casino operations from Georgian Downs will have a significant impact on our ability to continue horse racing at the property.”

The 2024 harness racing season at Georgian Downs will proceed as scheduled, beginning on June 2. InnisfilToday has reported that racing at the track will continue for at least three more years with Gateway leasing the casino space until a target opening of its new gaming facility on Jan. 31, 2028.

To read the InnisfilToday article in its entirety, click here.

(With files from InnisfilToday)