Your old friend is leaving Rideau Carleton, and it’s triste
Okay, listen, this one… it’s a bit sad, non? We just found out that the Rideau Carleton Raceway is shutting down its harness racing. For good. After more than sixty years, *plus de soixante ans*. It’s not just a racetrack; it’s been a fixture, like the big sign for Gabriel Pizza on St. Laurent, you know? A part of the landscape. And now, poof, gone. This story went through three levels of approval before it got to me and it is still fascinating, but also, *très triste*.
### The End of an Era
You might not have been a regular out there on Albion Road, past Riverside South, but the Raceway has been a quiet constant. Generations of people in our city, and even from across the river in Gatineau, have gone there for the races. It’s part of the fabric, you know? Like the ByWard Market stalls before the tourists even get there. It wasn’t always front-page news, but it was *there*.
Here’s why this closure is a big deal:
* **Loss of Tradition:** Sixty years is a long time. This isn't just about horses; it's about a community and a heritage. * **Economic Impact:** Think about all the folks involved — the trainers, the jockeys, the stablehands. What happens to them now? * **A Changing City:** It's another sign that Ottawa is evolving. Sometimes that's exciting, like when a new shawarma spot opens in the Glebe, but sometimes, it means losing something old and familiar.
It’s easy to focus on the Hill, on all the big political things, but the real story is never on the Hill — it’s always just off it. And this, *c'est ça*. The closure of the Rideau Carleton Raceway feels like a quiet turning of a page for Ottawa. It’s a part of our city’s history that, for many, was just… *there*. Now it won’t be. It makes you think about what else we might lose, eh?
My friends on the morning show are definitely going to be talking about this. You can catch them live at mornings.live.