Summerside worries raceway could close

The mayor of P.E.I.'s second city is calling for an emergency meeting with the area's MLAs to find out what the province's plans are for the Summerside Raceway.

The grandstand at theharness-racing venueis in hard shape, Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart said, and in less than a year the Canada Games are due to open at Credit Union Place, the sportscomplexright next door. Other members of city council share his concern.

"The opening venue as it stands right now will be that dilapidated, leaking building that's falling into the ground," Coun. Brent Gallant said.

"Prince Edward Island will be the laughing stocks of the Canada Games to have hosted such an event with a facility such as that."

The province has been spending big money to build and renovate facilities for the Games, but there is no word yet on any capital spending for the Summerside Raceway. That has led to bigger worries for council, withrumours abounding that the province's newgambling strategy, currently being written, will seek to close down the raceway as a competitive harness-racing track and downgrade it to a training facility.

"If there's a suggestion at the end of the day from that, that this racetrack in Summerside be downgraded from racetrack to a training centre, there will be a blistering fight about it, I'll tell you that. And I'll be right out there in the front of it," Stewart said.

Pressure on provincial treasurer

Stewart is resting his hopes that that won't happen on provincial Treasurer Wes Sheridan, the minister responsible for the gambling strategy, who's alsothe MLA for Kensington-Malpeque, just to the northeast of Summerside.

"Wes is going to make it happen," Stewart said.

Sheridan confirmed a decision on the grandstand is on hold until the gambling strategy is released, buthe denied there has been talk about downgrading the Summerside Raceway.

"That hasn't been on the table whatsoever," he said. "In the last nine months of discussions, we haven't even looked at that possibility."

Sheridansaid he hopes to have the gambling strategy ready for cabinet approval in the next couple of weeks, and after that he'll turn his attention to the Summerside Raceway's grandstand.