Fredericton council has approved bylaw changes that remove horse racing as a permitted activity at the New Brunswick Exhibition Grounds, as the site is slated for redevelopment.

Official harness racing hasn’t taken place on the grounds’ race course for more than five years, but the new changes officially close the door on the sport at that location.

In an interview, Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers said the bylaw changes approved Monday night are simply cementing what was already set out in land-use documents.

“It’s often ensuring that our bylaws are in line with other plans and documents that are more authoritative so there’s alignment, and that’s what this was,” she said.

The land the race course sits on is owned by the city, but the N.B. Ex holds a long-term lease. An agreement signed in 2021 would see the track jointly developed to provide housing, a park, and potentially space to replace George Street Middle School.

Rogers said the bylaw solidifies the city’s intent to move forward with the development.

“We do know there has been a joint development plan that has been developed by the board and the city that has other plans for that area, and we need to move forward,” she said. “There’s a real urgency in our community to move forward.”

Jeff MacCarthy, the executive director of the N.B. Ex, did not respond to an interview request, but had previously expressed interest in seeing harness racing return to the site.

The two sides have been working on terms of reference for a steering committee for the development, which Rogers said will come to council for approval soon.

Those terms include pushing forward with the first phase of the development.

“Our committee seems to be in agreement that it’s important that we get that up and running, and it be positioned as such that N.B. Ex can still carry out some of their activities,” she said.

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