Secret proposals exchanged over Vernon horse racing dispute

VERNON - Proposed resolutions over an ongoing legal dispute between the City of Vernon and the Okanagan Equestrian Society are on the table, but neither side is commenting on the details. The society’s lawyer, Ed Woolley, says proposals were exchanged this week and both parties are now considering their options. The legal dispute has been...

Horse racing scrapped again; Vernon’s Kin Race Track in legal limbo

VERNON - It will be another quiet summer at Vernon’s historic horse racing track as plans for its future remain mired in uncertainty. Arson gutted Kin Race Track’s grandstands last summer, and without them the Okanagan Equestrian Society’s president says no events can be held. “Everything runs out of the grandstand,” Robert White says. The...

NEWSMAKERS 2014: String of arsons go down as worst in recent memory

THIS WEEK, INFONEWS.CA IS COUNTING DOWN THE TOP FIVE STORIES OF THE YEAR. TODAY: NUMBER THREE VERNON - Authorities called it the worst fire-setting spree in recent memory, and with the close of 2014, we still don’t know who’s responsible. Over 20 fires were set across the city this past year, beginning in late spring...

Future uncertain for Canada’s oldest horse-racing track

VERNON - The future of horse racing in the Interior remains more uncertain thanks to mounting woes for Vernon's troubled Kin Race Track. The society that runs the track has battled for years to keep it open. Already tight on cash from fighting a legal battle with the City of Vernon to continue racing horses...

Future of Kin Race Track on the table

VERNON - The future of Kin Race Track will on the table at a public meeting this weekend. The Okanagan Equestrian Society is holding a public input and information meeting on Saturday to discuss options around the replacement of the grandstands, which were destroyed in a suspected arson earlier this year. “While insured, the insurance proceeds...

Fire destroys Kin Race Track grandstands

VERNON - Fire knocked down the grandstands at Kin Race Track Wednesday night, drawing response from the Vernon Fire Department and police. RCMP spokesperson Gord Molendyk says an officer noticed the large cloud of smoke billowing from the fire around 11:30 p.m. Wednesday. By that time, fire trucks were also on their way. The grandstands...

Kin Race Track fire considered suspicious

VERNON - Authorities are treating a fire at Kin Race Track as suspicious, just the latest in a long string of dozens of suspicious fires in the community. The Wednesday night blaze destroyed the grandstands overlooking the race track, leaving a charred and unstable structure too dangerous for investigators to enter. “We haven’t even been...

Society suspects notice from city was an attempt to win lawsuit

VERNON - There won’t be any horse races at Kin Race Track this summer because of what the Okanagan Equestrian Centre feels is a ploy from City Hall. This spring, the society received a notice from the City of Vernon saying electrical upgrades were required before power was turned on in the grandstands. “The society...