Elliot Lake cancels 'the grandmother of all races' in northern Ontario

City council in Elliot Lake, Ont., has officially cancelled its 2023 drag race event. The situation has some promoters in the northeast wondering if it could mean the end of the event for good.

The city axed this year's event after it couldn't find a suitable group to run it. 

Dan Gagnon, Elliot Lake's chief administrative officer, said any group wishing to put on the race event must sign an agreement with the city and provide insurance, staffing, equipment and the financial backing they need. 

"We still hope that we could, maybe in 2024 and beyond, find a third party that could enter into an agreement," Gagnon said.

The new rules are a sharp departure from previous years, in which the city took a more direct role. This included help with staffing, security and insurance, among other spending, according to a report presented to council.

According to Gagnon, the event tends to lose about $35,000 each year, which the town then has to cover.

A big part of the budget was dedicated to an arrangement between the city and community groups, where the city donated money to the groups in exchange for those groups providing volunteers to work at the races. 

According to unaudited 2022 figures, the city gave $8,500 to North Shore Cruisers, $2,500 to Club 90 (a rehabilitation group) and $600 to the Elliot Lake ATV Club.

Gagnon said the city's insurance provider flagged those arrangements as a liability. At last year's races, the city had to provide more staff to run the three-day event because fewer community groups offered volunteers.

The city is still willing to work with the right organizer that can meet its criteria, Gagnon said. He said Elliot Lake would still offer its airport for a $1 rental fee and find ways to compromise with a potential organizer.

Peter Laliberte of Sudbury, Ont., is a racemaster and promoter with Northern Drag Racing Outlaws, which mainly organizes races in Kirkland Lake. He called Elliot Lake's event "the grandmother of all races in the north."

Laliberte said he didn't understand the city's argument that the drag races lose money, calling it "an insult" for the many people who attend each year.

"Drag racers did for a long time fill every parking spot, motel room and trailer space around from Espanola to Blind River, where you couldn't find a place to get a room," he said.

But Gagnon said much of that benefit doesn't reach the city itself, because Elliot Lake's airport is eight kilometres south of the community and many people stay closer to the drag strip.