Fort St. John council receives presentation on public park policy considerations

FORT ST. JOHN — During March 11th’s committee of the whole meeting, council received a presentation on special event policy considerations to manage parks and outdoor spaces hosting events. 

City of Fort St. John arts and culture manager Eryn Griffith and parks manager Carrie Harder gave council policy considerations that include limiting loud music events at neighbourhood parks such as Kin Park and Centennial Park.

Griffith and Harper outlined how allowing a certain number of concerts or amplified music events can allow risk management plans to be developed before applications are submitted. 

Council specified that small neighbourhood parks should not have loud events, saying they should be dedicated to families in the community.  

Other policy considerations included allowing park areas to be fenced off and allowing exclusive access for profit-driven events.

In 2022, the city hosted the Energetic County Fair in a vacant lot located in the heart of Fort St. John. Staff put in more than 150 hours combined to manage and guide the event, according to the presenters. 

Staff have researched other communities in B.C. and other provinces, such as Alberta and Ontario, to understand the guidelines and policies for managing park events. 

According to Griffith and Harper, the policy considerations would be used to save administrative time for staff and remediate costs. 

The special event policy would help determine what kinds of events can be held in the parks, how the parks are used and what events take priority. 

According to Chief Administrative Officer Milo MacDonald, the report was not created in response to events held in Fort St. John but in other communities. 

Macdonald says the ideal situation would be to find policies that are not restrictive but protect the assets of the park hosting the event.