N.B. exhibition begins demolition of grandstand, following city orders
CBC
The New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition has complied with an order from the City of Fredericton to demolish its grandstand.
The city issued a notice on Sept. 9 under a bylaw for dangerous or unsightly premises over safety concerns it had with the grandstand.
N.B. Ex challenged the order and failed, leading to the decision to start demolition work around a week ago.
“We challenged the city and wanted to further clarify the reason into the teardown," said Rae Tretiak, executive director of the New Brunswick Provincial Exhibition.
"Once we understood that more clearly, we took it to our board who voted in favour to get the job done."
The city’s public safety committee heard the challenge on Oct. 16.
The appeal decision was signed by five city councillors — Eric Megarity, Bruce Grandy, Steven Hicks, Greg Ericson and Jason LeJeune — as well as Deputy Mayor Jocelyn Pike and Mayor Kate Rogers.
Documents from the committee’s decision show that the officers were concerned about rusted components, asbestos, lack of safety guards, litter and fall risks.
The original notice to comply listed 13 concerns with the structure, which the exhibition argued were irrelevant since it wasn’t being used by the public.
The exhibition said that the grandstand was boarded up to prevent access but, according to a city bylaw officer, plywood could easily be removed or a ladder could be used to access the seating area.
The bylaw officers heard in the challenge added that “a chance or possibility of injury is all that is required” for the grandstand to be a hazard.
CBC News asked the city for an interview about the grandstand but spokesperson Marley McLellan said in an email that the city has “nothing further to add on this matter.”
The grandstand, which sits next to the exhibition's horse racing track, closed in 2017 and has been boarded up since 2023, according to documents from the decision.
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