The weeklong event includes exhibitions of livestock and other agriculture displays and competitions, as well as a midway and harness racing. It is held each August at the Eastlink Centre and Red Shores Racetrack and Casino in Charlottetown.
The board that runs Old Home Week voted unanimously Wednesday to suspend the event this summer, pending resolution of an issue with Red Shores.
“I don't think any of the directors want it to go,” said Strothard Rodd, president of the P.E.I. Provincial Exhibition/Old Home Week. “They’re here because they like Old Home Week. They love it.”
The board was notified its access to Red Shores’ parking lot for the midway would be reduced by 15 per cent this year. Red Shores needs the space to erect tents as part of hosting the World Driving Championship.
Rodd and Sandra Hodder Acorn, manager of the P.E.I. Provincial Exhibition/Old Home Week, said they agreed to this year’s reduction but have received no assurances they would regain the space in 2018, which worries them financially.
“With (Campbell Amusement Rides) possibly bringing fewer rides than normal, we’re looking at a reduction of the amount of revenue that they’ll be taking in, which will, in turn, reduce our portion of revenue we get,” Hodder Acorn explained.
The revenue from the midway helps pay the cost of running the exhibition, which has a $650,000 budget.
McIsaac called the suspension a “bump in the road” and is confident the partners can be convinced to come to an agreement to see Old Home Week operate as usual this year.
“This is the jewel of Prince Edward Island in the middle of the summer,” he said Wednesday.
“We have met on this issue this morning and we will smooth this out.”
Opposition MLA Steven Myers raised concern over the future of the event, as a centrepiece of showcasing the province’s agriculture industry.
He was especially critical of the role of Red Shores casino, which is a government-owned entity, in the stalled negotiations between the partners.
“You want to talk about bullying, talk about the 400 tickets that the Old Home Week group is being forced to give the Red Shores bunch, talk about how they’re trying to cut down a third of the parking lot so they could roll in their big gambling buddies,” Myers said.
“One of the managers over there said he makes his living off of other people’s losses. Come on folks. That’s not Island talk. That’s not the way Islanders talk about Islanders with gambling problems.”
McIsaac stressed his confidence that an agreement can be reached.
“Nothing has been cancelled. The suggestion is by the board that we have to look at something different,” McIsaac said.
He says government would be willing to act as mediator between the partners and could look at increased funding, if necessary, although he stressed the province’s budget is strict this year.
The province is providing $34,900 for Old Home Week.
“This thing is going to work out,” McIsaac said.
Hodder Acorn said late Thursday afternoon they had not been contacted by government but said the next step is simple.
“We’ve got to get back to the table and hopefully find a resolution,” she said. “Old Home Week is a 129-year-old tradition in P.E.I., and it’s ingrained in a lot of Islanders.”
Rodd and Hodder Acorn said they would also like to see a new governance structure formed with all the event’s partners.
Harness races, including the Gold Cup and Saucer, could still go ahead if a deal with the Old Home Week board is not reached.
