Rat problem at Surrey’s Fraser Downs sparks legal battle between B.C. horse racing group, track operator

A dispute over how to deal with a rat infestation at Fraser Downs Racetrack in Surrey has landed in the B.C. Supreme Court — and the future of the upcoming fall harness racing season may hang in the balance.

The Harness Racing BC Society (HRBC), which represents trainers, horse owners, and breeders, has filed legal documents to prevent the site’s operator, Great Canadian Entertainment, from shutting down the racetrack for what could be several months to deal with rodents in the barns.

HRBC President Kelly MacMillan says no one is denying the rat problem, but the group disagrees with how the operator plans to fix it.

“The rats are bad,” MacMillan told 1130 NewsRadio.

“Our dispute is 100 per cent based on how the [site operator] wants to go about it, which is to close the entire facility down for a number of months, interfering with training and prepping for horses coming to the races.”

MacMillan claims the society hired two independent pest control companies, both of which determined that the work could be done in a matter of days — with horses only needing to be removed for 24 hours, not months.

He adds that a potential long-term shutdown would be “devestating for the industry.”

“To interrupt the horses for this, for a matter of months, at this period of time, prior to September, means those horses aren’t going race. Which means those owners will not get the chance to recoup their money, which affects the breeders, which means there’s probably not going to be enough horses to start a meet in September, which means all the jobs are lost.”

MacMillan says Fraser Downs remains the only “proper training facility in the province.”

“There’s nowhere else in B.C. or even Alberta we can send these horses to train.”

The society says it’s been in discussions with the operator since March, when it received a notice to vacate the site.

MacMillan says all offers to work out a compromise — including paying for part of the cleanup or keeping one barn open — were rejected.

HRBC is seeking an injunction to stop the long-term closure while allowing pest control efforts to continue in a less disruptive way.

A court date is expected next week.

1130 NewsRadio has reached out to Great Canadian Entertainment for comment.