Fredericton councillor questions recent horse-racing event quietly planned at NBex

A Fredericton councillor says she has questions about how and why a horse-racing event was organized last weekend — unbeknownst to her — on the grounds of the New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition.

Coun. Jocelyn Pike is the city's appointed member on the exhibition's board of directors and said she had no knowledge that an official harness-race qualifying event was organized on the decommissioned track last Saturday.

"It's unusual that that happened, I'll be honest with you," said Pike, in an interview Tuesday afternoon.

"I do know there were judges there from Standardbred Canada, so we need to find out just how that happened."

Standardbred Canada is a non-profit organization that promotes harness racing.

Organized harness racing hasn't been held at the track since the exhibition decided against renewing the lease held by Fredericton Raceway in December 2016.

Since then, the stables have still housed horses and owners use the track, but only to exercise their animals.

Controversy has been kicked up in recent months following apparent efforts by horse-racing enthusiasts to work against a plan that includes getting rid of the track.

In March 2022, the City of Fredericton, which owns the property, and the provincial exhibition, which leases it, agreed on a plan that would see the exhibition remain on the site, while redeveloping the horse stables and race track areas for housing.

Then late last year, Horse Racing New Brunswick shared video online from one of their meetings in which officials discussed "seizing" the track in Fredericton by registering for membership with the exhibition in order to influence decisions.

Pike said she hopes to find out more about who organized the event and why, considering the track hasn't been used for official events in more than six years.

The event was also held just a week after Mike Vokey was fired from his role as executive director of the exhibition.

Vokey led the organization for almost 12 years and helped create the plan agreed to between the exhibition and the city.

He said at the time of his firing, Rob Kitchen, the exhibition's board chair, told him the board wanted to take the organization in a "different direction."

The event last weekend would have either been organized immediately after he was fired, Vokey said, or "behind the scenes" while he was still executive director.

CBC News initially requested an interview with Kitchen to discuss Vokey's firing. On Tuesday, he said he would consult lawyers with the exhibition and then provide an interview, however, he did not return repeated calls from CBC News.

In an email Wednesday morning, Kitchen said the NBex board and Jeff McCarthy, the new executive director, remain "committed" to moving forward with the city of Fredericton on plans to redevelop the exhibition grounds.

"The board looks forward to working with the city in the coming days and weeks to form a joint committee to determine how the plan is implemented," Kitchen wrote.

Concerned by Vokey's firing

Pike said Vokey's firing was also a surprise to her.

She said she joined the board last fall and knew there was a process underway to replace him in time for his expected retirement in spring 2024.

However, she thought the plan was to keep him on to transition the new executive director, Jeff McCarthy, into the role and the responsibilities involved.

"How's that going to impact our revenues? How's that going to impact what's been going on in the community?" Pike said. "Because Mike Vokey was very much engaged in all kinds of fundraising activities."