Sturgeon County now has a new law to regulate Boonstock-sized special events – one that has a major ag-tourism advocate wondering how to avoid breaking it.
County council voted 6-1 in favour of the new special events bylaw last June 9 after an hour of protracted debate. Coun. Patrick Tighe was opposed, while Coun. Wayne Bokenfohr was absent.
The new law requires people to get a permit before hosting a public event in the county that involves 500 or more people – one that requires them to complete a detailed risk assessment. It was created largely in response to the controversial Boonstock festival of 2013, which the county banned after it caused a storm of public health and safety concerns.
Council hit the brakes on this law back in April for more talks with the business community, which feared it would sink ag-tourism opportunities.
County councillors and staffers made several changes to the bill before it passed third reading.
Instead of requiring one security guard per 100 guests and gate, for example, the law now requires an "appropriate level" of security and compliance with any security plan imposed by the county. Event organizers are also now required to provide a "suitable supply" of potable water instead of a "free" one.
Event organizers will also have to complete a new risk assessment chart to determine potential hazards associated with their event. Events that have no alcohol and no history of police intervention score as low risk on the chart, while those with booze and a history of arrests score higher.
Council also approved a new fee schedule for the law. Permits for non-profit or small events will cost $75, while those for medium or large ones will cost $250 or $2,500.
Long debate
In a 4-2 decision, council dropped a last-minute addition to the law that would have let applicants appeal to council if administration turned down their request for a permit. Tighe and Coun. Ferd Caron were opposed.
Coun. Karen Shaw opposed the change and moved for its removal, noting that council had already cut a similar provision from the bill before.
"If our CAO has turned something down because it hasn't followed the safety codes and all the other practices, why in heaven's name would we even consider giving it consideration?"
Council specifically asked the county's economic development committee for suggestions on this law, and they suggested an appeal process, Caron said.
"I think they should be listened to."
Tam Andersen, owner of Prairie Gardens & Adventure Farm in the county, said she was disappointed by council's decision to cut the appeal process.
This law amounted to a tax on special events, Andersen said. While ag-tourism outfits like hers could avoid the permits if they got a development permit, she said she can't get one, as the county doesn't issue permits for ag-tourism – a land use not covered by the county's land-use bylaw.
Without such a permit, she's concerned that she'd have to buy a special events permit for every day her business runs, as she frequently has more than 500 people on her farm.
"It absolutely puts us in a position where we're wondering how to comply" with the law, she said.
The law also needed some policy behind it to guide its application, Andersen continued. It's unclear how it would apply to Open Farm Days, for example – a non-profit event that advertises for-profit farms.
Mayor Tom Flynn said that administration would work with ag-tourism providers like Andersen when it comes to this new bylaw, and suggested that they might be able to get permits that cover multiple events. Upcoming revisions to the county's land-use bylaw may also address the ag-tourism gap.
Questions on the law should go to county office at 780-939-4321.
