New Brunswick·NewThe City of Fredericton has ordered the New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition to demolish its unused grandstand. If it’s not demolished by the Oct. 24 fines will be issued for every day the grandstand is not taken down.Failure to comply by deadline would result in increasing fines, order saysOliver Pearson · CBC News · Posted: Oct 24, 2025 5:42 PM EDT | Last Updated: 11 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe city has ordered the New Brunswick Exhibition to tear down the grandstand at the downtown racetrack, where harness racing is no longer a regular feature. (Michael Heenan/CBC)The City of Fredericton has handed the New Brunswick Exhibition an order to remove its racetrack grandstand because of concerns about public safety.The grandstand, which sits on the city’s Exhibition Grounds, is no longer in use and is boarded up, but the city is still concerned.The structure is rusted, unstable in places and fails to meet building codes, the city says. An inspection report done by Ace Engineering in August noted that the outside panelling contains asbestos. The steel structure was in “good to excellent condition” but “not fit for human occupancy.”The notice was issued on Sept. 9 under the city’s Respecting Dangerous or Unsightly Premises bylaw. The deadline for removal was Friday, but the grandstand is still up.Exhibition appeals orderThe penalty for not complying is $240 and not more than $10,200, and the city’s notice says the fine will keep increasing until the order is met.An appeal by N.B. Ex was heard on Oct. 16 by the public safety committee, according to a statement from city spokesperson Marley McLellan. The committee ruled against the exhibition.The exhibition and the city have been at odds in recent months over the future of the downtown Exhibition Grounds. The property is owned by the city and leased to the New Brunswick Exhibition.After years of planning joint development of the land, including housing, commercial space, and new school, the city has filed a notice of intention to expropriate the land.According to Service New Brunswick, the notice was filed on Oct. 16 for the land that the old racetrack, barns, Tim Hortons and William’s Seafood Restaurant sit on.Doors, windows, railings and the bleachers were among the biggest safety concerns about the grandstand, but the exhibition group argued in its appeal that those items are closed to the public.The group responded to 10 of the city’s 13 concerns by saying: “The grandstand is not open to public use. This allegation is irrelevant to whether or not the grandstand should be demolished.”The exhibition group said it intends to remove the grandstand with future development plans, and the structure is a part of land sale negotiations.As well, there are security cameras and lighting around the structure and 24/7 security on site, according to the appeal.The Exhibition Grounds are monitored by around-the-clock security, according to the New Brunswick Exhibition. (Oliver Pearson/CBC)Documents from the appeal say the exhibition got an estimate of “around $150,000” to demolish the building.In rejecting the appeal, the committee said there is no concern the whole structure could collapse, but there is concern certain components could fail. For example, a person could be injured by walking on rotted floorboard, the ruling said.No comment from either partyThe decision is signed by Councillors Eric Megarity, Bruce Grandy, Steven Hicks, Greg Ericson and Jason LeJeune, Deputy Mayor Jocelyn Pike and Mayor Kate Rogers.According to the bylaw, the decision can be appealed to a judge of the Court of King’s Bench within 14 days.Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers did not comment on the notice to comply. The notice was filed the same month council voted to direct city staff to start the expropriation process for the Exhibition Grounds. (Aidan Cox/CBC)CBC News was denied a request for an interview with Mayor Kate Rogers. Rob Kitchen, the president of the New Brunswick Exhibition board, declined an interview but said his organization is considering its options.ABOUT THE AUTHOROliver Pearson is a reporter at CBC New Brunswick. He can be reached at oliver.pearson@cbc.ca
Fredericton orders N.B. Ex to demolish grandstand, citing safety
