Doug McCallum pledges to rebuild Surrey's Cloverdale harness racing track by fall 2027

Doug McCallum, running as the Safe Surrey Coalition's mayoral candidate, pledged Monday to rebuild the horse barns and racing oval at Surrey's Cloverdale Fairgrounds, ending nearly five decades of silence at the site since Fraser Downs closed.

"My promise to Cloverdale is simple," McCallum said. "The barns go back up, the horses come home, and nobody at City Hall ever bulldozes over this community again without asking it first."

Great Canadian Entertainment announced the racetrack closure in August 2025 and demolished the horse barns at year's end. The City of Surrey terminated the lease for the racetrack and stables, though Elements Casino, which operated below the grandstands, continues. McCallum said he would pursue reconstruction if elected with a council majority, aiming to bring harness racing back by fall 2027.

The closure affected over 200 members of Harness Racing BC and put 75 to 100 seasonal workers out of work. More than 6,000 people signed a petition opposing the closure. McCallum, who served as Surrey mayor from 1996-2005 and again from 2018-2022, and previously worked as CEO of Harness Racing BC, accused the current city government of dismantling Cloverdale's identity without consulting the horseracing community.

McCallum is also proposing a bylaw that would require a public vote before any portion of the fairgrounds is sold or redeveloped. He pledged to preserve the site for the Cloverdale Rodeo, Country Fair, Agriplex and horse racing, and said he would cancel Mayor Bryn Locke's proposed convention centre. Locke announced in May 2026 a vision for a new convention centre with up to 200,000 square feet of meeting and exhibition space at the site.

Civic elections are Saturday, October 17. McCallum's proposal does not include a cost estimate for reconstruction.