Harness Racing British Columbia (HRBC) has taken legal action against Fraser Downs operator Great Canadian Gaming Corporation after discussions have broken down concerning plans for a backstretch closure that threatens future racing in the province.
A statement from Great Canadian Entertainment appears below followed by a press release on the legal action from HRBC, which represents all trainers, drivers, owners, breeders and grooms for Standardbred racing in British Columbia.
Trot Insider reached out to Great Canadian for comment on the legal action being taken by HRBC regarding the backstretch closure and concerns for future racing, and received the following response: "Given that there is active litigation commenced by HRBC to seek to impede our pest control efforts, we are not able to comment at this time. We intend to vigorously defend the litigation so that we can ensure the health and safety of HRBC members, our team members, and guests."
Fraser Down Harness Racers Take Legal Action to Prevent Closure of Racetrack
Surrey-based Harness Racing BC Society today (May 20, 2025) filed various materials with the Supreme Court of British Columbia to prevent the potential closure of the Fraser Downs horse racing racetrack by the Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (GCE), the site’s operator.
“We’ve been in regular meetings to try to prevent this since March 13, 2025, when we received a notice from GCE requiring HRBC members, equine athletes, and associates to vacate Fraser Downs on May 2, 2025,” said Kelly MacMillan, President of the Society, a not-for-profit.
The March 13 notice required members to vacate the racetrack’s barns and to allow for GCE to eradicate the rat population. GCE hasn’t committed to a date when HRBC members and their animals could return.
“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. 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,” said MacMillan. “This callous disregard to our concerns and solutions would cause an immediate loss of income for dozens of families, and potentially cause a complete shutdown of our races at Fraser Downs.
“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.
“We offered to pay for the pest control work for GCE over a shorter period, but they refused,” said MacMillan. “They delayed the closure to May 30, 2025. 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. We even asked them to just keep the training facilities open if the barns had to be closed.
“This has been the main track for harness racing in BC since 1976 – almost 50 years,” said MacMillan. “Basically, we’re a group of ranchers’ and horse owners’ families who love this sport and all the colour and good vibes that come with it.
“This business is unique and has great potential,” said MacMillan. “We’re currently working on a proposal to expand horse racing in BC with Thoroughbred Racing BC.
“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.”
(With files from Harness Racing British Columbia & Great Canadian Entertainment)