VANCOUVER, BC (December 8, 2025) — Live thoroughbred racing at Hastings Racecourse, a 133-year-old fixture in British Columbia’s horse racing and agricultural community, is ending after Great Canadian Entertainment said it will discontinue operations following the province’s decision to terminate the slot-machine revenue stream that has helped support BC’s racing sector for about two decades — funding that ends Jan. 31, 2026. 

The Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association of British Columbia (HBPA-BC) says the fallout is already being felt across the industry’s workforce and supply chain. “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,” said HBPA-BC president David Milburn in a statement on December 5, 2025.  

“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.”  

Great Canadian Entertainment said the track’s closure was driven by financial uncertainty as the funding model changes. “This was an extremely difficult decision, especially given the historical legacy of Hastings Racecourse in the local community and its importance to the province’s racing industry,” Wayne Odegard, regional vice-president for Great Canadian Entertainment, said in a statement.  

Calling the decision “strictly a business decision” based on uncertainty about running another season of racing, he said: “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.”  

In the Legislature, Public Safety Minister and Solicitor General Nina Krieger defended the move, saying the industry has been shrinking for years, citing “a decline in the number of races, the number of wagers, breeding activity and industry revenue. These have been declining for a number of years.”  

Krieger said racing leaders had sought major new funding to keep the sport viable, but the province concluded it was unsustainable after an economic assessment and consultation with BCLC and the cities of Vancouver and Surrey. “This was a very difficult decision,” she said, while acknowledging impacts on workers and communities.  

Workers and unions say the decision came with little warning and leaves families facing immediate uncertainty. “The fact that none of the stakeholders, including our union, was consulted before the funding cut was announced is extremely frustrating and insulting.”  

And long-time track worker Lisa Russell said the closure’s consequences will ripple through families tied to the industry. “I married into four generations of race trackers. My son put himself through university by working at the racetrack,” she said. “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 has hosted thoroughbred racing since 1889; Great Canadian has operated it since 2004 and leases the facility from the City of Vancouver. While live racing is ending, casino operations and simulcast wagering are expected to continue. 

The closure also lands amid ongoing discussion about the broader future of the PNE fairgrounds area, where the Whitecaps have previously confirmed talks with the City of Vancouver about a potential soccer-specific stadium at the PNE site. 

HBPA-BC says it believes live racing can still be saved and is urging the province to re-engage. “There is a path forward,” Milburn said. “The Province must return to the table and work with us on a real solution.” 

With files from Vancouver Sun, Chek News, Global News, CityNews, North Shore News.  

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