Regional board votes in favour of Extreme Mudfest permit

POUCE COUPE, B.C. — The Peace River Regional District board had a lengthy discussion on the decision to issue a temporary permit for Extreme Mudfest during their meeting on April 18th.  

The board narrowly voted in favour of issuing the permit to hold the festival at 187 Riverside Road in Pouce Coupe over the next three years. 

The board included amendments to the motion as a condition of approval requiring the applicants to contact stakeholders, including BC ambulance, RCMP, and fire protection, to request a written confirmation that all safety measures are in place. 

The board also required the applicants to reach out to Riverside Road residents to address their concerns. 

Mudfests organizer Billie Jo Aasen said the requirements are very standard and would have been done in any case. 

Extreme Mudfest is Canada’s largest mud and music festival, which has run in Cold Lake, Alberta, for the last 10 years. The festival will have four motorsport classes, some of which are the fastest-growing in North America. 

Other festival activities will include an extreme mud run for charity, music performances by rock and country bands, and more. 

The festival is expected to have economic benefits by driving tourism in the Peace region. Aasen notes that in Cold Lake, 70 per cent of its attendees are from outside of a 50-kilometre radius. 

Aasen spoke to the board, detailing the approval process of the event, its benefits to the community, and the procedures used to assure safety and compliance. 

“I understand the concerns of having a music festival, not everyone loves music festivals, not everybody loves the noise or the people. I can tell you that it brings way more positivity to the community than negativity,” said Aasen.

The board discussed residents’ concerns, a traffic management plan, and communication with other provincial authorities.  

Aasen assured the board that in the 10 years of running the festival, she has never had a major issue. 

“We will work with all of our stakeholders to ensure that this is a safe, fun, community event that the Peace is proud to put a flag in,” said Aasen. 

Many residents wrote to the board when the permit was discussed during a board meeting on April 4th. The permit was then received for information until the board could speak to the proponent. 

More letters were presented to the board during the April 18th board meeting, requesting they not go forward with the event as it could cause noise disturbances, safety risks, property devaluation, increases in crime, etc. 

“The emergency plan submitted by the proponent leaves much to be desired and provides no detail as to how emergencies such as medical, environmental, vehicular or criminal will be planned for, handled or mitigated at all,” a resident wrote in a letter. 

“I would ask each and every council member is it something you would want in your neighbourhood,” a resident wrote to the board.

The board considered rejecting the permit, but according to the community charter, the applicant would not be able to re-apply for six months. 

Many board members opposed the permit because the festival organizers did not inform the River Road community about the event plans. 

“We have spoken to many of our neighbours who have expressed many of the same concerns, many of whom had not heard or been informed of the proposed event,” another resident wrote.

“Having local input is extremely important, so I’m all ears, and everybody will have my contact information,” said Aasen.

Aasen said she has had her father meet with residents already but did not want to do a full engagement until the permit is issued. 

“The good news is that we have approval and are moving forward,” said Aasen. 

Extreme Mudfest will be held at 187 Riverside Road, in Pouce Coupe, B.C., from August 30th to September 2nd, 2024.