New BrunswickThe organization that leases the Fredericton Exhibition Grounds didn’t foresee city council’s decision this week to grab the land by expropriation.Council’s vote to expropriate land from N.B. Ex was never discussed, says board presidentOliver Pearson · CBC News · Posted: Sep 24, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoThe Exhibition Grounds, which a non-profit leases from the City of Fredericton, will soon be under full city control with the hopes of developing a middle school, housing and community space. (Michael Heenan/CBC)The City of Fredericton’s move to take over the Exhibition Grounds was not one that the New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition saw coming, despite recent communication between the two parties.”Never once in any discussions is that the city takes over the land and kicks us out,” said Rob Kitchen, president of the exhibition board. “That’s never been part of the conversation.”We didn’t see it coming. We’re quite disappointed.”Kitchen found out about the council decision Tuesday morning after the Monday night meeting.The City of Fredericton owns the 30 acres, or about 12 hectares, of land at the bottom of Smythe Street, which includes the exhibition barns and harness racing track.The city leases the property to the non-profit, but the current lease doesn’t expire until the end of 2031. Monday night’s decision approved the expropriation of the leasehold interest, giving the city full control.WATCH | Exhibition disappointed by Fredericton’s move to expropriate land: Fed up with pace of developing Fredericton Exhibition Grounds, city moves to expropriateThe city has had its eye on the prime downtown land since 2019, and a joint committee has been working on a plan for development.The council resolution said the move “is a priority and both necessary and desirable for the following municipal purposes.” The purposes are a new school to replace George Street Middle School, new housing and community space.The city said these changes are not a surprise since the property was first identified for redevelopment in 1990. The city and Fredericton Exhibition Ltd., which operates the New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition, have worked together on planning that redevelopment.But Mayor Kate Rogers said a plan hasn’t been coming together quickly enough given the demand for housing and a new school.”We do not have time to continue to deliberate,” Rogers said after Monday night’s meeting. “We have been working in very good faith on a committee with members from the Exhibition and we’re just not making the progress that we need to make to respond to the need.”Fredericton Mayor Kate Rogers said that work with Fredericton Exhibition Ltd. on the development of the Exhibition Grounds has not been moving fast enough. (Ed Hunter/CBC)Kitchen said he can’t see how the exhibition group has held the redevelopment plans up.The non-profit has a responsibility to consult, he said, and get approval from its 148 members before moving forward with any plan on the site.”We had previously been reaching out to the city, asking for the city and the province and us to be sitting down,” Kitchen said. “The city seemed to be blocking that initiative.”The organization is planning an information session for members in October on the latest plans for the grounds, with a vote potentially happening at an annual general meeting in November. Provincial officials will attend the membership information session to answer questions about the school planned for a 12-acre portion of the property that includes the track.Fredericton Exhibition has plans of its ownRogers warned last year that the city would “pursue all available means” to acquire the land after exhibition members did not vote on the housing and school development during last November’s annual general meeting.Rob Kitchen, president of Fredericton Exhibition Ltd., which manages the New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition, said kicking the organization off the land was never part of talks with the city. (Facebook/Rob Kitchen)Kitchen said his group actually has its own plans for retail, residential and community green space development on the Exhibition Grounds.”We’re in early talks with urban planners. We brought this proposal to the city. So the city knows about that.”He said Fredericton Exhibition Ltd. is moving as quickly as possible while still doing its due diligence on behalf of its members, who include business people, academics, developers and farmers.Ultimately, Kitchen said, the decision is up to his members and if it doesn’t work for them “it’s not going to work.”The lease agreement between the Exhibition and the City was set to expire at the end of 2031. Rogers said the city has obtained an appraisal of the leasehold interest that shows it is worth $3.45 million.The city also said it would continue to negotiate with the exhibition group and would consider a new lease agreement for a portion of the property, which the non-profit could use until redevelopment begins. The city said it would also assist with the acquisition of an alternate site for New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition activities.ABOUT THE AUTHOROliver Pearson is a reporter at CBC New Brunswick. He can be reached at oliver.pearson@cbc.ca
N.B. Ex wasn’t expecting city takeover of downtown Fredericton land
