Latest news with #GreatCanadianEntertainment
Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Horse racing ends in Surrey as city reclaims Fraser Downs land for redevelopment
Horse racing at Fraser Downs in Surrey, B.C. has come to an end after nearly 50 years, as the city moves to redevelop the land for housing and other public amenities. Great Canadian Entertainment, which owns and operates the track, said Friday the closure takes effect immediately though the adjacent Elements Casino Surrey will remain open. The decision follows notice from the City of Surrey, which owns the Cloverdale Fairgrounds where the racetrack is located, that it is terminating the lease. Mayor Brenda Locke says the land, which occupies about five hectares of the Fairgrounds, will be folded into the city's broader redevelopment plans for Cloverdale Fairgrounds, which include new housing, a $3 billion hospital, public spaces, cultural facilities and expanded recreation amenities. "Our city is growing rapidly toward one million residents," she said in a statement to CBC News. "Ending the lease with Fraser Downs allows us to begin critical planning to revitalize the Cloverdale Fairgrounds and Town Centre…this is a city-building decision about using public land for the greatest public good." The Fraser Downs is one of two horse racing tracks in B.C., and the only racetrack for standardbred horses. WATCH | Rat infestation shuts down popular Surrey horse racetrack: It opened in 1976 as Cloverdale Raceway and was rebranded in 1996. "We respect the long history of horse racing in Surrey and the people connected to it," Locke said. "We carefully weighed those impacts against the city-wide benefits of revitalization." The announcement comes months after Great Canadian Entertainment ordered the stables closed to address a longstanding rat infestation at the site. Horse owners and trainers said the facility was unique in Metro Vancouver and critical for housing and training animals ahead of the fall racing season. At the time, Harness Racing B.C. said the closure would affect about 218 members, including up to 100 people employed during racing season. The organization launched a legal challenge against the closure but lost after the B.C. Supreme Court ruled in May that the temporary closure to address the infestation did not constitute "irreparable harm" to the industry. No horses have been stabled at Fraser Downs since late May.
CBC
17 hours ago
- Business
- CBC
Horse racing ends in Surrey as city reclaims Fraser Downs land for redevelopment
New Fraser Downs is one of two horse racing tracks in B.C. and only racetrack for standardbred horses Horse racing at Fraser Downs in Surrey, B.C. has come to an end after nearly 50 years, as the city moves to redevelop the land for housing and other public amenities. Great Canadian Entertainment, which owns and operates the track, said Friday the closure takes effect immediately though the adjacent Elements Casino Surrey will remain open. The decision follows notice from the City of Surrey, which owns the Cloverdale Fairgrounds where the racetrack is located, that it is terminating the lease. Mayor Brenda Locke says the land, which occupies about five hectares of the Fairgrounds, will be folded into the city's broader redevelopment plans for Cloverdale Fairgrounds, which include new housing, a $3 billion hospital, public spaces, cultural facilities and expanded recreation amenities. Image | Harness racing Caption: Standardbred horses are trained and participate in harness racing at the Fraser Downs racetrack in Surrey. The track opened in 1976, under the name Cloverdale Raceway before being rebranded as Fraser Downs in 1996. (Harness Racing B.C./Facebook) Open image in new tab "Our city is growing rapidly toward one million residents," she said in a statement to CBC News. "Ending the lease with Fraser Downs allows us to begin critical planning to revitalize the Cloverdale Fairgrounds and Town Centre…this is a city-building decision about using public land for the greatest public good." The Fraser Downs is one of two horse racing tracks in B.C., and the only racetrack for standardbred horses. It opened in 1976 as Cloverdale Raceway and was rebranded in 1996. "We respect the long history of horse racing in Surrey and the people connected to it," Locke said. "We carefully weighed those impacts against the city-wide benefits of revitalization." The announcement comes months after Great Canadian Entertainment ordered the stables closed to address a longstanding rat infestation at the site. Horse owners and trainers said the facility was unique in Metro Vancouver and critical for housing and training animals ahead of the fall racing season. At the time, Harness Racing B.C. said the closure would affect about 218 members, including up to 100 people employed during racing season. The organization launched a legal challenge against the closure but lost after the B.C. Supreme Court ruled in May that the temporary closure to address the infestation did not constitute "irreparable harm" to the industry. No horses have been stabled at Fraser Downs since late May.
Cision Canada
06-06-2025
- Business
- Cision Canada
Tsleil-Waututh Nation Announces Historic Memorandum of Understanding to Purchase Casino Business at Hastings Racecourse & Casino
səlilwətaɬ (TSLEIL-WAUTUTH NATION), BC, June 6, 2025 /CNW/ - Today, səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) (" TWN") announced that it has entered into a non-binding Memorandum of Understanding for an agreement in principle to acquire the casino business and related real property interests at Hastings Racecourse & Casino (" Hastings") in the City of Vancouver from Great Canadian Gaming Corporation (" Great Canadian Entertainment"). "We are thrilled to take another important step towards economic self-determination for our Nation in our traditional territory, and we are eager to work with the senior management team at Great Canadian Entertainment to finalize due diligence and execute a definitive agreement, as well as working with the City of Vancouver to ensure the best long-term use of this important asset within the City," stated Jen Thomas, Chief of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation. "We believe that this opportunity is historic for us in many ways, and we look forward to entering the gaming industry in due course," she concluded. "We are excited about working with TWN on their potential acquisition of the casino operations and related real property interests at Hastings Racecourse & Casino," stated Matt Anfinson, Chief Executive Officer of Great Canadian Entertainment. "Recognizing that Hastings is part of the TWN's traditional territory, we can think of no better entity to inherit this asset, and we look forward to supporting them in the transition after the anticipated close of the sale," he concluded. The agreement is subject to further due diligence, finalization of financial terms and the execution of a definitive purchase and sale agreement. Once a definitive agreement has been executed by the parties, it is anticipated that the transaction will be subject to customary closing conditions as well as customary approvals by gaming regulatory and other authorities, including certain approvals by the City of Vancouver given its ownership of the real property. It is expected that Great Canadian Entertainment will provide transition services to TWN for a period of time following the anticipated closing. KPMG Corporate Finance Inc. is acting as financial advisor and McCarthy Tétrault LLP is acting as legal counsel to TWN. McMillan LLP is acting as legal counsel to Great Canadian Entertainment. About səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh Nation) are known as People of the Inlet. səlilwətaɬ is a Coast Salish Nation whose territory centres around Burrard Inlet in the Greater Vancouver region. Tsleil-Waututh people carry a Sacred Trust, a responsibility, to care for and restore traditional territory to its former state. Today, Tsleil-Waututh is more than 600 people strong and growing. The community draws on knowledge from ancestors to remedy past wrongs, reclaim territory and traditions, and advance into a bright future. For more information on Tsleil-Waututh Nation, visit About Great Canadian Entertainment Founded in 1982, Great Canadian Entertainment is Canada's premier gaming and hospitality company with gaming, entertainment, hospitality and resort facilities in Ontario, British Columbia, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. Committed to investing in and offering opportunity to those in the communities in which it operates, Great Canadian Entertainment supports hundreds of charitable and non-profit organizations across Canada under its PROUD program; "PROUD of our people, our business, our community". A significant portion of gross gaming revenue from Great Canadian Entertainment's gaming facilities is retained by Crown partners on behalf of their provincial governments for the purpose of supporting programs that benefit healthcare, education, and social services in Canada. To learn more, please visit or follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and LinkedIn.
CBC
06-06-2025
- Business
- CBC
Tsleil-Waututh reach tenative deal to acquire Hastings Racecourse casino in Vancouver
Social Sharing The Tsleil-Waututh Nation says it has reached a preliminary deal to purchase the casino business and related real estate at Hastings Racecourse and Casino in Vancouver from Great Canadian Entertainment, the country's largest gaming and hospitality company. The First Nation announced Friday that it has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the company and is now working toward a formal agreement. "We are thrilled to take another important step towards economic self-determination for our Nation in our traditional territory," said Tsleil-Waututh Chief Jen Thomas in a statement. "We believe that this opportunity is historic for us in many ways, and we look forward to entering the gaming industry in due course." The Hastings site is located in the First Nation's traditional territory around Burrard Inlet. The deal is still subject to due diligence and final approval from regulators, including the City of Vancouver, which owns the land. In the same statement, Great Canadian CEO Matt Anfinson said the company supports the sale. "Recognizing that Hastings is part of the TWN's traditional territory, we can think of no better entity to inherit this asset," he said. The company says it will continue to provide transition services to the First Nation following the anticipated closing of the deal. No timeline for the final agreement or anticipated closing date has been announced. Earlier this year, Vancouver Island's Snuneymuxw First Nation completed a similar move in January, acquiring Casino Nanaimo and Elements Casino Victoria from Great Canadian Entertainment after receiving final regulatory approval. At the time, the First Nation said the transition would generate sustainable wealth and bolster Snuneymuxw's influence locally, nationally and globally.
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Why horse owners have filed a lawsuit to keep a rat-infested B.C. racetrack open
At night, a sea of rats can be seen overtop of horse manure piles. Inside the stables, they crawl atop gates, scurry from stall to stall, and burrow beneath the ground. That's according to Donna Scrannage, a decades-long horse owner and user of the Fraser Downs racetrack in Surrey, where she says the infestation began about five years ago and has only gotten worse. "They're in their feed tubs. They're in their water buckets. They're in the stalls constantly," she told CBC News. "They wreak a lot of havoc in there, and it's messy and it's not nice to deal with." The Fraser Downs is owned by the gambling company Great Canadian Entertainment, which has ordered the stables to shut down for at least three months for pest control. The only problem: the facility is unique in Metro Vancouver, and horse owners depend on it to both house the animals and train them for the upcoming fall racing season. Horse owners have filed an injunction in B.C. Supreme Court in hopes of keeping it open, proposing alternative rat eradication plans that would allow for continued use of the stalls. "We've come up with alternate solutions so that our members are not left with nowhere to go; there are no other training facilities in the province of B.C.," said Scrannage, who is also the vice president of Harness Racing B.C. (HRBC), which is leading the lawsuit. "Our young horses are in jeopardy of not being ready for our fall meet," said Scrannage. In an emailed statement, Chuck Keeling, a vice president at Great Canadian Entertainment, charged HRBC with attempting to impede pest control efforts. "We intend to vigorously defend the litigation so that we can ensure the health and safety of HRBC members, our team members, and guests," said Keeling. Closure ordered The Fraser Downs is one of two horse racing tracks in B.C., and the only racetrack for standardbred horses. HRBC says it has paid GCE to use the site over the summer for 35 years. It says 218 members would be affected by a closure of the Fraser Downs, including 75 to 100 people who work there during the racing season. In a memo to owners from GCE, now a court exhibit, horses were ordered to vacate the premises by May 9, with the pest control project expected to last 60 to 90 days. HRBC says the closure date was recently moved to May 30. Scrannage says GCE has suggested the stalls could reopen Aug. 15. The fall racing season is expected to begin on Sept. 4. Scrannage says horses typically need six weeks of training before the season opens. "Basically, they're giving us two weeks to condition horses, where normally we would have all summer," said Scrannage. "If we don't start conditioning young horses July 1, our September start is in jeopardy," she added. HRBC says dozens of families rely on the income generated from training and horses. Pest control GCE did not elaborate further on its pest control plans, but Scrannage suggested it involves poison to eradicate the rodents over several months. HRBC says it has proposed an alternative plan for carbon monoxide fumigation that would allow for the continued use of some stalls and the race track. "We can do this and have horses back in the barn within 24 hours," said Scrannage. "Theirs is that you need to be out in 60 to 90 days, but they're not giving us a definitive timeframe." In a statement, HRBC president Kelly MacMillan said other proposals were also rejected. "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 onsite and continue training, but they rejected this," said MacMillan. "We even asked them to just keep the training facilities open if the barns had to be closed." Their case is expected to be heard in front of a B.C. Supreme Court judge on May 28.
