vancouver's hastings racecourse sudden closure 'blindsides' workers, racing community
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friday night horse racing at hastings racecourse in vancouver in 2024. the track will close, effectivel immediately.
michael bye
hundreds of workers are facing uncertainty after the announcement that horse racing at hastings park — b.c.’s last operating thoroughbred horse racetrack — is over after more than a century.
lisa russell, who has worked at the track since 1991, said the closure will ripple through generations of families connected to the industry.
“i married into four generations of race trackers. my son put himself through university by working at the racetrack,” she said in a statement friday.
“there have been a lot of people affected that have dedicated their lives to this industry. we are a family. we are a community, and that community has been dismantled with little to no notice for anybody.”
hastings racecourse and casino announced friday that it is ceasing thoroughbred horse racing after the province’s earlier decision to end sharing casino revenue to support racing.
“this was an extremely difficult decision, especially given the historical legacy of hastings racecourse in the local community and it’s importance to the province’s racing industry,” wayne odegard, regional vice-president for great canadian entertainment, said in a statement.
he said the decision was “strictly a business decision” based on the economic uncertainty of holding another season of horse racing.
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“our focus moving forward will be supporting our impacted team members through this transition, as well as racing participants as they assess their options for thoroughbred racing in the province in the future,” odegard said.
the move to end racing comes as the whitecaps are close to a deal with the city of vancouver to explore building a new soccer stadium at the site, postmedia has learned.
a proposed agreement will be presented to vancouver council as early as this week that would allow the whitecaps to bring aboard other partners for additional development on the site, sources said.
hastings racecourse and casino has held thoroughbred racing since 1889. great canadian entertainment has operated it since 2004 and leases the facility from the city of vancouver. while live racing has ended, casino operations and the simulcast racebook will continue.
the announcement comes a week after the province dropped a bombshell that it was pulling slot machine revenue as of jan. 31, totalling about $8 to $10 million annually. horse racing has been in decline for decades and has increasingly relied on a share of revenue from the trackside casino to support the sport.
gary johnson of thoroughbred racing b.c. said the province’s announcement to pull slot machine revenue “came as an absolute shock” and “without any warning whatsoever.”
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nina krieger, minister of public safety and solicitor general, said the decision was made due to “significant concerns” with the financial sustainability of horse racing in b.c. following an economic impact assessment.
according to the province, affected workers can access support such as income assistance and training programs.
but the union representing more than 100 workers at the racecourse is urging b.c. to reverse course.
in a statement, union president annette toth said the province’s decision to cut funding came without talking to those involved.
“the fact that none of the stakeholders, including our union, was consulted before the funding cut was announced is extremely frustrating and insulting.”
according to the union, its members agreed to pay cuts and helped lead a campaign to keep the track afloat in the early 2000s.
“this is devastating and heartbreaking news for our 100-plus members who work at hastings racecourse – from maintenance to security to casino operations – whose lives have been turned upside down,” said toth.
the horsemen’s benevolent and protective association of b.c. condemned the move and blamed the province’s decision to cut slot-machine revenue.
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“what we are seeing today is the direct and immediate consequence of the province’s announcement,” president david milburn said in a statement.
“hastings racecourse has been home to live racing for generations. by removing the revenue structure that made racing viable, the province has placed workers, owners, breeders, trainers and agricultural suppliers in an impossible position.”
the association said slot revenue was not a government subsidy but a structural commitment established when gaming expanded in the province. its removal, it said, threatens multi-year breeding and training investments, hundreds of jobs — including many self-employed backstretch workers ineligible for employment insurance — as well as agricultural and rural businesses such as hay producers, feed suppliers, veterinarians and transporters.
“this shock extends far beyond hastings,” said milburn. “entire rural economies and supply chains are affected. families, small businesses and community partners have been blindsided.”
with files from patrick johnston
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