Latest news with #ShambhalaMusicFestival
The Province
05-08-2025
- The Province
Shambhala festival goers receive hundreds of tickets for impairment, vehicle defects, more
During the multi-day road check, police issued more than 800 tickets, towed dozens of cars, and issued dozens of orders to fix vehicle defects. Another 83 people also face drug-impaired charges. SALMO, B.C.: JULY 2025 - RCMP highway patrol is pictured during this road check near Salmo, B.C. where officers targeted impaired drivers and unsafe vehicles among festival goers headed to Shambhala in July 2025. Photo by BC HIGHWAY PATROL / HANDOUT The RCMP highway patrol issued hundreds of tickets for impaired driving and other infractions last month after setting up road checks heading into the annual Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events. Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account. The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on. Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword. Support local journalism. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors From July 21 to 25, highway patrol officers conducted road checks along mountain passes heading into Salmo, including the Kootenay Pass, the Bombi Pass and Paulson Pass. During the multi-day road check, police issued more than 800 tickets, towed dozens of vehicles and issued dozens of orders to fix vehicle defects. Another 83 people also face drug-impaired charges. File photo from 2020 of Shambhala Music Festival. Photo: Handout The tickets issued included 360 speeding tickets, nine tickets for excessive speeding, 11 tickets for no insurance, and 11 notices and orders for unsafe or mechanically unsound vehicles. After the event wrapped up, highway patrol officers partnered with Nelson police to continue road checks as people left the festival. As a result, 60 cars were towed for mechanical safety or driver impairment, 59 people were handed 24-hour driving suspensions for impaired driving, and 24 individuals were investigated for drug use. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 'The temperatures were high and a little uncomfortable for officers working long days in full uniform,' said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin. 'But it's clear this enforcement was necessary. Police officers were particularly concerned about getting impaired drivers and unsafe vehicles off the road, and they were right to be concerned.' The festival was started in 1998 with just 500 attendees and has since grown into a massively popular event, drawing thousands of electronic artists and fans to the banks of the Salmo River. sip@ Read More News Vancouver Whitecaps Vancouver Canucks Music World
CTV News
05-08-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Hundreds of drivers stopped for speeding, impairment around Shambhala Music Festival, B.C. police say
A police road targeting Shambhala Music Festival attendees near Salmo, B.C., is seen in a handout image. Police pulled over hundreds of drivers for alleged speeding or drug impairment around last month's Shambhala Music Festival, according to B.C. Highway Patrol. Authorities said they issued more than 800 tickets and towed dozens of vehicles before, during and after the electronic music festival, which is held every year in the community of Salmo. 'The temperatures were high and a little uncomfortable for officers working long days in full uniform,' said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin, in a statement. 'But it's clear this enforcement was necessary. Police officers were particularly concerned about getting impaired drivers and unsafe vehicles off the road, and they were right to be concerned.' This year's festival was held from July 25 to 28. B.C. Highway Patrol said officers began watching for problem drivers on the mountain passes into Salmo on July 21, and continued until Shambhala's opening day. During that time, they handed out 360 tickets for speeding and nine more for excessive speeding, the latter defined as going more than 40 km/h over the posted limit. They also issued 11 tickets for not having insurance, plus 11 notices for driving unsafe or mechanically unsound vehicles. Police also watched for impaired driving as people were leaving the festival. McLaughlin said they issued 59 immediate roadside suspensions for drugged driving, and have launched 24 criminal investigations for the same. Headliners at this year's festival included Andy C, Apashe, Big Gigantic, Channel Tres, Glass Beams and Rezz.
Vancouver Sun
05-08-2025
- Vancouver Sun
Shambhala festival goers receive hundreds of tickets for impairment, vehicle defects, more
B.C. highway patrol issued hundreds of tickets for impaired driving and other infractions last month after setting up road checks heading into the annual Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo, B.C. From July 21 to 25, highway patrol conducted road checks along mountain passes heading into Salmo, including the Kootenay Pass, the Bombi Pass and Paulson Pass. During the multi-day road check, police issued more than 800 tickets, towed dozens of cars and issued dozens of orders to fix vehicle defects. Another 83 people also face drug-impaired charges. The tickets issued included 360 speeding tickets, nine excessive speeding tickets, 11 tickets for no insurance, and 11 notices and orders for unsafe or mechanically unsound vehicles. Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sunrise will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. After the event wrapped up, highway patrol partnered with Nelson police to continue road checks as people left the festival. As a result, 60 cars were towed for mechanical safety or driver impairment, 59 people were handed 24-hour driving suspensions for impaired driving, and 24 individuals were investigated for drug use. 'The temperatures were high and a little uncomfortable for officers working long days in full uniform,' said Cpl. Michael McLaughlin. 'But it's clear this enforcement was necessary. Police officers were particularly concerned about getting impaired drivers and unsafe vehicles off the road, and they were right to be concerned.' The festival was started in 1998 with just 500 attendees and has since grown into a massively popular event, drawing thousands of electronic artists and fans to the banks of the Salmo River. sip@
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- Yahoo
WorkSafeBC hits province with $783K penalty for music fest traffic safety violations
WorkSafeBC has issued a penalty of $783,068.26 to the provincial government for "high-risk" worker safety violations outside a popular electronic music festival in B.C.'s Interior. The penalty, imposed in late January, was for a July 29, 2024, incident involving the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure (MoTI) staff outside Shambhala near Salmo, B.C.. An online summary and an inspection report paint a picture of provincial employees — without appropriate training or precautions — taking over traffic control work from a contracted company. Neither the summary nor the report mention any injuries as a result of the incident, but the penalty approaches WorkSafe's statutory maximum for 2025 of $798,867.87. The ministry acknowledges that its staff did not have the appropriate training or personal protective equipment for traffic control duties but says their actions were driven by the need to address an "imminent safety risk to the travelling public." A spokesperson wrote in an email that heavy traffic departing the festival led to a three-kilometre traffic jam, blocking highway access to emergency vehicles and creating "potential for frustrated drivers to make unsafe decisions." "The ministry is reviewing the penalty associated with this incident and may request further review of it," the spokesperson wrote. 'High-risk violations' The festival, WorkSafe's report states, hired a contractor to develop a traffic management plan and control traffic during the event. WorkSafe added Shambhala attendance may have eclipsed 21,000 in 2024. The report went on to say that two workers from a regional ministry office in Nelson visited the "east gate" of the festival, where traffic from the festival entered Highway 3. "The representatives from MoTI were not satisfied that traffic was being controlled in a manner consistent with MoTI's expectations," the report reads, but the on-site contractor "withdrew their workers as they did not believe this work was safe to perform in the way that MoTI was directing them." Shambhala has been a well-attended event on the B.C. live music calendar for over 20 years. (Shambhala Music Festival) The contractor took photos and reported their concerns to WorkSafeBC, the report said. Ministry workers then began directing traffic on their own. It notes the traffic control work "exposed the workers to high volumes of traffic." "WorkSafeBC determined the ministry workers were not trained [traffic control persons] and had been directing traffic from an unsafe position on the highway," the incident summary notes. "The employer also failed to provide its workers with the information, instruction, training, and supervision necessary to ensure their health and safety," the summary concludes, calling those "high-risk violations." Ministry claims 'imminent safety risk to the travelling public' The ministry, in a statement, admitted its workers did not have the appropriate training or precautions in place but adds they only intervened "to ensure the safe flow of traffic on Highway 6 during the Shambala Music Festival, responding to an emergency situation that quickly arose when a designated traffic control person from a private company failed to perform their duties. "Their actions were driven by the need to address the imminent safety risk to the travelling public," the statement read. A spokesperson for the contractor, which is not subject to the penalty, denied its workers did anything wrong and insisted they followed an approved traffic management plan. The ministry says the incident will lead to a reinforcing of expectations for its staff when it comes to safety and emergency protocols. "A detailed action plan is underway to ensure accountability and provide lessons for better handling of similar situations in the future," the statement read. WorkSafe says any proceeds from administrative penalties will be deposited in its accident fund to pay for injury costs in the current and prior years. It says the dollar amount of a penalty is influenced by the assessed employer's payroll and the nature of the violation.
