McCallum says he would rebuild Fraser Downs and barns at Cloverdale Fairgrounds if elected

Doug McCallum says harness racing will return to Cloverdale if he is elected on Oct. 17. He has promised to bring the sport back to Cloverdale Fairgrounds in fall 2027, and says he and his Safe Surrey Coalition slate would rebuild Fraser Downs and the backstretch barns.

The City of Surrey took back the lease from Great Canadian Entertainment in August 2025, without warning and just weeks before a fall race meet was scheduled to begin. The company was then operating the track and casino. The move closed the track, ending racing on the 5/8-mile oval after 49 years.

“My promise to Cloverdale is simple,” mayoral candidate McCallum said in a news release. “The barns go back up, the horses come home, and nobody at City Hall ever bulldozes over this community again without asking it first.” He said 6,000 people signed a petition opposing the closure. Citing Harness Racing BC figures, McCallum said 218 members and 75 to 100 people who worked at the track lost their jobs when the season was abruptly cancelled.

McCallum also promised to protect Cloverdale Fairgrounds with a special bylaw requiring a public vote before any part of the grounds is sold or redeveloped. His Safe Surrey Coalition Cloverdale platform also calls for rebuilding the barns and oval and restoring harness racing; a bylaw requiring a public vote before any Fairgrounds redevelopment; protecting “Old Cloverdale and the Fairgrounds”; and bringing the Harness Racing BC office back to the Fairgrounds. He said the city should work with the industry and the Province to restore horse racing.

McCallum was named CEO of Harness Racing B.C. in 2010. He previously served two terms as Surrey mayor, from 1996 to 2005 and from 2018 to 2022.