The Blue Mountains council is concerned about the potential impact on the local community of a large music festival being planned near Duncan next summer.
At its committee of the whole meeting on Aug. 26, council received a delegation from local residents who expressed opposition to a music festival being planned in Grey Highlands next year on the Canada Day holiday.
David Scoon and John Moody made presentations to council about their concerns about the possible ramifications the proposed festival could have on the local area.
iRadios Inc. announced in July that it is planning the Lit Galaxy Festival for a 150-acre rural property near Duncan. The property is located on the Grey Highlands side of the Grey Highlands/The Blue Mountains townline, not far from the small community of Duncan.
The event would include camping, parking, multiple stages as well as vendors of commercial goods and food. It is expected to attract up to 25,000 attendees.
“This location is completely inappropriate for an event of this size,” Scoon said at the meeting.”This event will completely overwhelm the community.”
Residents of the area have created a petition opposing the proposed festival that has been signed by 371 people.
Moody said the proposed site of the festival is a combination of farm fields and forests with just one access point from the townline.
“It’s barely a car width wide,” he said.
Council unanimously passed a resolution supporting the concerns of the delegates about the proposed festival that will be circulated to Grey Highlands council, which will make the decision to approve or not approve a permit for the event.
The resolution also requested that The Blue Mountains be circulated a copy of the Grey Highlands staff report on the application for the festival.
Last week, Grey Highlands CAO Karen Govan told CollingwoodToday that Grey Highlands staff are currently reviewing an application for a special event permit from the festival organizers. A report is expected in the coming months.
Coun. Gail Ardiel expressed concerns about the festival having an impact on local roads, the agricultural community and policy resources.
“I sit on the police board, we know we don’t have any extra OPP officers,” said Ardiel. “It is a concern.”
Coun. June Porter said the scale of the proposed event is very concerning.
“This is the population of Collingwood in one spot,” she said.
