PRESS RELEASE from the RCMP
The RCMP and organizers of Shambhala Music Festival share the same goal of hosting a safe and peaceful festival. It is the largest special event in the West Kootenay and is held annually on a 200+ acre private property site off of Highway 3, near Salmo, B.C.
For this years Shambhala Music Festival the following sections provided Police Service delivery during the days leading up to, during and following the event:
- Kootenay Boundary Regional Detachment (KBRD)- uniform members, including Salmo and surrounding Detachments,
- KBRD General Investigation Section – plain clothes members,
- Integrated Road Safety Unit (IRSU)(combined Nelson Police Department and RCMP section)
- West Kootenay Traffic Unit,
- KBRD Police Dog Service unit,
- 2 Traffic canine units,
- the Commercial Vehicle Inspector and Automated Licence Plate Recognition Vehicles.
The Shambhala event security group again played an important role in dealing with attendees. This includes inspecting vehicles entering the site and resolving problems throughout the weekend. The security staff have been extremely helpful and professional throughout the event.
The Village of Salmo population is approximately 1,200 people and the Salmo RCMP has a regular staff of four officers. As with any significant special event, there’s a large number of out of town citizens arriving in Salmo to attend this festival placing increased demands on police and other emergency services.
Attendance at Shambhala was limited to 10,000 people and there was also approximately 1,000 volunteers, staff, entertainers and employees associated to the various music bands and commercial vendors and booths at the site. Most attendees travel to the festival via motor vehicle resulting in a considerable increase in traffic for area residents.
In an effort to keep area roadways safe, police had a strong presence on the highways during Shambhala. Numerous traffic road checks, as well as enforcement and patrols, were conducted within the Village of Salmo, Highway 3 and Highway 6 .
This year’s media release will be divided into 3 separate sections:
1. a report from Salmo Detachment – General Duty
2. a report from the traffic units – Integrated Road Safety and West Kootenay Traffic Services and
3. a report from Kootenay Boundary Regional General Investigation Section.
1. Report from Salmo Detachment
During the past week, Salmo RCMP are recommending charges for the following drug and criminal code offences:
Source: Torben Bjørn Hansen, Flickr, Creative Commons.
8 – Possession of a Controlled Substance for the Purpose of Trafficking
1 – Possession marijuana
2 – Breach of Conditions
1 – Forcible Confinement/Assault
1 – Bribery
Traffic Charges:
2 – No Insurance
1 – Fail to produce driver’s license
2 – Drive contrary to restrictions
2 – Liquor
Other – 13 Written Warnings/ Notice and Order and 2 Motor Vehicle Accidents
2. Report from West Kootenay Traffic Services and Integrated Road Safety Enforcement
Between Tuesday, Aug. 2 to Tuesday, Aug. 9 the West Kootenay traffic members with the assistance by the Nelson Police Department, several local RCMP detachments, commercial vehicle enforcement office, police dog services and the advanced licence plate recognition units from Kelowna conducted roving patrols and road checks to detect high risk drivers traveling to and from the Shambhala Music Festival.
Summary of Enforcement as follows:
Violation tickets
Not wearing Seat Belt: 52
No insurance: 13
Speeding: 157
Speed in Construction Zone: 3
Excessive Speed: 6
No driver’s licence: 33
Drive contrary to Restrictions: 17
D.L. General: 30
No lights: 1
Drive without Due care: 1
Veh. Reg./Licence: 4
Commercial: 2
Intersection: 2
Use of Electronic: 2
Unsafe Pass: 2
Vehicle Defects: 5
Bald tires: 1
Novice Driver: 15
Serve Prohibition/Suspension: 2
Prohibited Driver: 4
Other: 19
Vehicle Impoundments: 10
Vehicle towed: 22
Alcohol related offences:
Alcohol 90 day – fail: 2
Alcohol 90 day – Refusal: 1
Alcohol 3 day & Vehicle Impoundment: 5
ASD (Roadside Screening) Tests: 24
Liquor Act charges: 14
Drug & Criminal Interdiction related offences:
24-hour drug prohibition: 6
Standard Field Sobriety Tests (SFST): 15
marijuana seizures: 96
hash seizures: 6
MDMA seizures: 5
psilocybin (magic mushrooms) seizures: 3
warrant breach probation: 1
warrant other: 1
breach probation: 1
possession of stolen property charge: 2
other charges: 2
speed: 19
vehicle licence/registration: 4
driver’s licence: 31
vehicle defect: 46
other: 13
commercial: 2
An overall increase in driver’s impaired by drugs was noted by the enforcement units. Furthermore, several injury collisions were reported on August 8th during the time the event was closing.
It is believe that the majority of these collisions were associated to drivers being under the influence of drugs or simply under extreme fatigue.
Although there were no fatal collisions, police are concerned about the high risk caused to the safety of the motorists traveling east and west from the Salmo area. This event was attended by folks from all areas of Canada, the United States and even Europe.
3. Report from KBRD General Investigation Section
An undercover operation took place in Salmo and around the Festival site during the first week of August 2011. Four different male suspects sold acid and MDMA (ecstacy) to undercover operators. The suspects were arrested for trafficking of a controlled substance and later released from police custody on documents to appear in provincial court on trafficking of a controlled substance charges.
Final comments
Thanks go out to the Shambhala organizers and event security for including the police during their planning meetings as well as their consideration towards safety and well being.
That’s quite the list. It would be interesting to get stats from the local hospitals on what they see.
Now id like to see an artcle from a Salmo residents perspective…particulary from someone who lives right under the festival grounds. Who controls and cleans up past the fesitival gates?
That would be an interesting contribution, Cathy. Can you direct me to anyone? My email is news@inthekoots.net.
No one really lives by the farm, plus it’s up a long road, people at Shambhala themselves do a pretty good job of cleaning up, especially at there own camp ground. The only trash i really saw was water bottles on the dance floor, but when your all the way at the front or really anywhere for that matter, dancing the night away, there is no way of disposing of it at the time.
@wanker There may not be the density of Nelson or other cities but a lot of folks live in the area. I have spent time on a farm 2 km north of Shambhala and it was impossible to sleep. Stoned party goers walked across the property and treated it as there own. Most folks could care less if Shambhala turned into a garbage dump. It is the garbage that appears everywhere else that is of concern.
I agree with @catbellmond. Lets hear from some residents whose lives are tuned upside down for days on end.
I honestly think those numbers where exaggerated a bit, but foor 10,000 + people, thats not even that bad. Also the people that od, it is their own fault, lots and lots of people take drugs responsibly. Now if there was booze at this alot of numbers would be up in many, many area’s.
Fact: I live 4 kms away from Shambhala. I live across the river on Bellmond road.
Fact: cars are parked on my dead end road for the entireity of the festival.
Fact: people cross to the festival from my property constantly…some even brave enought to tell me they have no tickets and are crashing.
Fact…they leave there garbage everwhere.
For 2 years running we had smashed up cars left by the river that were left for others to clean up. (2)
I am trying to make the people that run the festival and those who attend it understand that there are alot of people that live in the area. It does not just consist of the farm on which it is held. We all feel the effects of what was once a weekend event that has turned into a week long psrty. Im not sure why someone that defends the event would deny that anyone would be effected? The shambhala farm is not the entireity of Salmo.
Thanks for sharing your experience, Cathy.
Your welcome…im still waiting to hear from someone that deals with the festival to come and get the garbage off my property….I will not pay the dump fee 3 years running.
hi Cathy,
Corrine has responded to you. Sorry for the delay, as the festival shuts down, and we wrap up on site, it is difficult to get internet access. Everything shuts down almost right away, and moving the office back to town is a long process.
We are happy to remove the waste for you. Please respond to Corrine’s email she sent last week.
Here’s a festival that has outgrown itself, much like Shambhala. It may have been a great party but now it has outgrown the venue. I think it has outgrown many locals too.
http://theshroom.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/harvey-announces-2011-is-final-burning-man/
I’m pretty sure that’s a hoax, Jim.
It looks like The Shroom is a joke news site (they claim admiration for the other joke site, The Onion).
I’d think something like that would get bigger news play but I can’t find anything about it.
As Chris said, that site is a joke news site.
The people in Gerlach really embrace Burning Man. I’m sure there are nay-sayers there as well, but the fact is, that town has learned how to captialize on the event, and capture tourist dollars brought into their community by it.
I went to Burning Man for the first time last year. Amazing event. And the people in Gerlach were so friendly. They set up little stalls on the side of the road, and host kind of a market. We’d love to see more of this in Salmo & Nelson in the future. Salmo ran special Farmer’s Market days during the lead-in to Shambhala this year, across from our Shambassy (Shambhala info booth).
I realize the shroom is a joke site. Wishful thinking perhaps. Along with 90% of the population of the Kootenays, I wish Shamebhala would die. I’m all for tourism unless it costs us more than it makes.
It’s not all cool and groovy, Brittany. Most participants turn a blind eye to all the carnage. Rapes, overdoses, impaired driving and general disruption of a small rural area. If that is something you can embrace, most locals don’t feel like capturing it. As someone who appears to profit from it, I’m not surprised to see you spring to Shamebhala’s defense.
Your inference that we should cater to it by selling vegetables at the side of the road only shows how much you don’t get it.
Its all about big business and as you know (our shambassy?), this festival makes millions for its organizers. The same millions we spend cleaning up the mess as taxpayers and private citizens.
Shame.
Yes, Shambhala is my full time job. And I believe in what we do. We produce a world-renown celebration of music, art and life. Shambhala won Best Large Event at the Breakspoll awards in the UK this year, and is the #35 most visible music festival across all genres in Google searches world wide. Shambhala is a Kootenay success story, and probably one of the best employers to work for in this area.
Nothing happens at Shambhala that wouldn’t happen in Nelson, or any town on any given weekend. Nor do incidents occur in higher numbers than they would in a town of similar population to Shambhala. Shambhala’s incident rate (violence, assults) is a very low .05%.
And we do not turn a blind eye the problems, either. Drugs, alcohol and weapons are all banned items at Shambhala, and our licnsend, bonded Security team (some of the best in the business, they were top performers at the 2010 Olympics) search for banned items on the way into the festival. Banned items found are either confiscated, or where necessary, the RCMP are called. We also have an entire Health & Well Being Zone, made up of different groups, who work together to ensure all our guests have a safe Shambhala, and get the support they need when/if they need it.
This festival does not make millions for the organizers. We spend millions to produce this event.
We also provide a lot of support to the community, too. Here is a list of our charitable donations from 2010: http://www.shambhalamusicfestival.com/shambhala-donates/
The previous year (2009), we donated $13,000 each to the Nelson Skate Park, and to the CT Scanner for Kootenay Lake Hospital.
We also made major contributions to the local Food Banks after Shambhala this year. We collected non-perishables from attendees at the festival, and left over perishables from the vendors were donated as well. Pastor Jim Reimer called us “a blessing”. And the Nelson Food Cupboard told us that the amount of food we gave them was “intense”.
Honestly Jim, it seems like you have a lot of ideas about our festival that are founded in rumour. I’d like to give you the opportunity to check it out first hand next year, and form your opinion based on what the festival actaully IS, not what you’ve heard. If you’d like to check it out next year, you’re more than welcome to come on our public tour. The tour runs on the Saturday of the festival, and runs for 2 hours in the afternoon. If you’re interested, just email me at britz@shambhalamusicfestival.com
Warm Regards,
Britz Gilchrist
Also, Jim, if there are any specific Shambhala-related issues you’d like to discuss, please don’t hesitate to email me at the address I’ve provided.
Our doors are open, and we want to work with the community to create a better experience for all, including the people who don’t attend our event.
I’d prefer a public airing, Brittany.
In terms of my views, they are based on personal experience, both my own and those of close friends, many of whom work in health care and get to see the carnage first hand. Of course, they can’t speak out for fear of reprisal. Since Shambhala started I have lived in Nelson, Castlegar, Rossland, Queens Bay and Slocan Park.
I’d like to see the stats for local hospitals similar to those above for policing. More personal impact statements from the likes of Cathy Bellmond would be an eye opener also.
In terms of my personal experiences, when I lived in Nelson, I had a large treed back yard. One year after Shambhala, I came home to find 3 tents in my back yard. Everybody was loaded and my tenants were pissed as the campers were urinating and defecating next to their patio space.
For several years in the early days, I spent time on an acreage 2 km north of Shamhala and witnessed firsthand folks who swam across the river and walked through private property and treated it as if it was their own. The noise was intolerable and sleeping impossible. The noise levels haven’t gone down.
I have a friend who’s back will never be the same after she was hit by a driver who left Shambhala, fell asleep and hit her head on. Ironically, she was on her way home from a night shift at the Trail hospital.
In terms of stats and money, after so many years and with 10,000 tickets sold at what?, $250 a piece, that’s 2.5 million dollars. Add vendor takes and that number likely exceeds 3 million. Yes there are costs but we all know that somebody is making money while we pay for support services.
I can already hear you crying about all the money you spend on security and police but that is just a drop in the bucket in terms of real costs.
As for your donations to food banks, it is worth noting that Jim Reimer implemented a pay system for his kitchen when he was constantly swamped by users before, during and after Shambhala. No wonder he considers it a godsend as he has been pulling your load for years. Other local food banks echo a similar sentiment.
If you clients overwhelm local food banks and kitchens, how much do they really contribute beyond their Shambhala ticket?
Donations of $33,000 are a paltry sum considering the impact your participants have on our area and your take at the gate.
I don’t need to see your festival next year regardless of what some guy in the UK has to say. I see the carnage and disruption every year and so do many others.
It’s also a heat score and creates grief for law abiding locals. I don’t have anything to hide but seeing our area swamped by RCMP officers looking for idiots that attend your festival doesn’t make me happy.
Honestly, Brittany, it seems like you have a lot of ideas about the impact of your festival based on nothing. If you’d like to correct me, I’d be happy to hear that here.
For some reason I can’t reply to your most recent comment. Perhaps the thread has gotten too long.
I also know many people who work in healthcare, who volunteer at our event and love Shambhala. Paramedics, Doctors, Nurses. Many healthcare professionals in our community participate in making Shambhala a safe event. And they do not consider what happens ‘carnage’. We have many healthcare professionals who come back year after year because they love our event, and genuinely enjoy volunteering.
As for stats from the local Hospitals, that’s something you’d have to request from them, we do not have those statistcs. We only have statistics from our Field Hospital (which is what our First Aid has evolved into – we have a fully operational facility that goes beyond traditional First Aid).
That is unfortunate about people setting up camp in the back yard of your tenants. However, I’m sure similar things happen after other large events in other places as well. We do not control people’s actions. We also do not think this is acceptable behaviour from our public, and we have since made efforts to educate our public that this kind of behaviour is not ok (http://www.shambhalamusicfestival.com/kootenays/). It’s part of why we started doing in town Shambassys (places staffed by SHambassadors with information about the festival + local areas, kind of like a visitor center) as well; to educate people about our area when they arrive, and make sure they are treating our towns with respect. We also offer local camping & attractions brochures at the festival for people who will be continuing their vacation after the festival.
I’d also like to note that the bad apples you’ve encountered certainly do not represent most of the Shambhala population. We’ve done customer surveys – most of our attendees are working professionals in their mid-20′s to early 30′s. Many of them are opting to stay at hotels after the event.
People who sneak across the river into Shambhala are a concern to us to. Again, they do not represent our festival-going community. These are undesirables who, essentially, intend to steal from us (and the people who did pay for their tickets). Every person on the property costs money; water, power, waste removal. The people who sneak in put a strain on the system.
I am deeply sorry to hear about your friend who was injured. We encourage people not to drive fatigued, however, as I mentioned earlier, we cannot control people. This is our public, anti-fatigued driving campaign:
“Whether you’re coming to Shambhala via Bass Coast (July 29-Aug 1), or you just have a long journey back home from the farm, make sure you get enough sleep before hitting those mountain roads! Be safe!
**************
The music has stopped. The party is over. It’s time to go home. But – have you slept enough yet? We welcome to you stay and sleep before your journey home!
“If you have been awake for 18 hours or more, or you have had 6 hours of sleep or less in the past 24hrs, you are high risk for a drowsy driving crash, even if you don’t feel sleepy.” – fatigueimpairment.ca
Fatigue factors in 19% of fatal collisions, and 23% of non fatal collisions. And we don’t want you to be a statistic! We want all of our Shambhalovlies to get home safe! Here are some tips on how to make that happen:
1. Plan a Designated Driver for Monday morning. As designated driver, you commit to getting at least 8 hours of sleep before departure.
2. Schedule a departure time. This makes it much easier to follow through with Step 1!
3. Always have a conscious co-pilot. As co-pilot, it’s your job to engage your driver, and watch for signs of sleepiness behind the wheel.
4. Consider local hotel/motel/camping options if you have a long drive home ahead of you.
We love you all, and encourage you to take these steps when leaving our festival, or any festival. See you on the dancefloor!
~The Shambhala Crew”
Moving on, you actually hit about the right number – the operational budget for the festival is 3 million dollars. That is the ENTIRE opearting budget, including salaries for 20 year round full-time staff. Our salaries actually account for a very small portion of that. Your assumption that someone is getting rich from the festival is an easy one to make when you look at a number that big, however, every cent made is reinvested back into the festival; enterainment, trucking equipment from major centres, lighting, sound, labour, food (staff kitchen), infrastructure upgrades. It all adds up. We create a temporary city from nothing every year.
We have been supporting and donating to the food bank since we were first made aware of the issues they were facing, post-Shambhala (probably about 3 or 4 years ago is when it was first brought to our attention). Those problems have actually significantly decreased in the past few years. I’m sure Pastor Jim did not move to a pay system because of Shambhala. I suspect it had more to do with inflation, and the rising cost of food. We have open lines of communication with him, and a good relationship. If he felt there were any issues, he would communicate them to us.
We proactively donated $500 to all local food banks, and Our Daily Bread this year so that they could stock up their cupboards before Shambhala, in case they experienced increased demands.
Again, I’d like to repeat that the people who use these services before and after Shambhala do not represent the majority of the festival’s population. They are a small portion, and the numbers have gone down, and continue to drop.
If you wonder how much people contribute to the local economy outside their Shambhala ticket, just ask local business owners. Ryan Martin at the Hume Hotel. Bent Over Leather. The Co-op. The Salmo Pump & Subway. Dragonfly Cafe. Salmo Foods & Shop Easy. Anna (purple trailer in Salmo). Local restaurants and coffee shops. Even the shops in Winlaw have reported that the week after Shambhala is their busiest week all year, with the highest number of sales.
Side note:
It’s also worthy of note that Nelson experiences a general increase in camping transients over the summer months, many of whom do not even go to Shambhala. I’ve spent many summer afternoons at Red Sands over the years, and there people who are just passing through, who are waiting for fruit picking jobs in Creston or the Okanagan, WOOFers, or who just people who’d heard about Nelson and wanted to experience it that are around for much of the summer and use these services. We live in a very desirable place, and it attracts all sorts. Many whom I’ve talked to in the past either had never heard of Shambhala, or could not afford a ticket.
It’s worth noting that many people who live in our community who are business owners, professionals and positive contributors to our local area once came here as hitch hikers themselves. I know many people who came to Nelson this way, just like the folks I mentioned above. Among these people you show such distaste for, there could be someone who will be a city counselor in 15 years. People who will settle here and start families. Teachers. Nurses. Judging these people who are just finding their way in life does not serve anyone.
Jim, when it comes down to it, we are people living in the same community. I’m willing to bet we share a lot of similar values, even if you wholeheartedly dislike Shambhala as an event. I think arguing with you is kind of odd, because when I first signed up for this site and I was having trouble, you were one of the first people to offer me assistance. And your attitude toward me has completely changed because of what I do.
It’s a shame that you don’t want to see the festivla for yourself, and that all your associations with Shambhala are so negative because it really is a beautiful event. There is so much goodness and love at Shambhala, and that’s why I fell in love with it in the first place 9 years ago. And you can only understand what it really is by being there. Many people come to our public tour with preconcived notions of what Shambhala is, or what they’re going to see. And they’re floored by what they actually do experience. We took all of Nelson city council, the mayor of Salmo, and many other local professionals on tour this year. By the end of the tour, people who had been unsure about Shambhala were telling us they wanted to volunteer next year. One woman who came in saying she hated Shambhala found herself dancing at one of the stages as we rolled through, and by the end she was thanking us and telling us how amazing it was.
And I’m not saying we’re going to change your mind if you come on tour. But if you’re going to feel so strongly about something, don’t you think you should see what it actaully is? The offer still stands, and will stand throughout the year. All you need to do is email me.
Brittany
Also wanted to add, the reason I invited you to email me personally about Shambhala-related issues is that we are always interested in community input to find solutions to problems.
We also need people to identify problems when we are not aware of them (as in the case of the food banks – we didn’t know what was going on until we were approached by those people. We’ve turned those relationships into positive ones, coming from a place where those services were originally feeling taxed).
It seems to me though, that most of your concerns have already been addressed by Shambhala, and we are already working on solutions for them. We will continue to work on them, and improve every year.
If you would like to participate in helping us create solutions for community issues, please feel free to email me.
Brittany,
In terms of my attitude towards you, it has not changed and I would gladly assist you again. I have made an attempt to address issues, not personalities. This isn’t about good and bad people, its about the mess and cost the festival creates. When I use the terms you/your below, I am referring to Shambhala.
I find your inference that because attendees spend money at some local businesses, all else should be forgotten, very interesting. The basic argument is that economic benefits trump social/environmental impact and concerns. Where have we heard that before?
It’s worth noting that the vast majority of locals are not business owners and see no benefit from your festival. Many of them came here for a visit and stayed for the peace and quiet. Whether they hitch-hiked here and become local leaders is irrelevant.
Were you interested to know the hospital stats, you could inquire yourself and this is something I would expect you to do if you are in fact pro-active. I think that would be due diligence for your organization. While your departure list for attendees is great advice, it is only effective for those who heed the warning.
You bring 10,000 people plus support staff and those who break in without a ticket to rural Salmo and admit you have no control over their actions. You assure me that most of your attendees are young professionals with a few troublemakers. Regardless of who they are, they party for several days straight and are then told, “You don’t have to go home, but you can’t stay here.”
Nowhere in your response do I see you address the larger issue of additional costs we as taxpayers pay through additional load on policing, healthcare and other services. There’s no way Shambhala covers the cost of all the extra RCMP and cruisers that appear on Kootenay roads because of your event.
I know many folks who attend your festival but even if only 10% of attendees are “bad apples” as you put it, that’s still 1000 people. Let’s not forget that taxpayers foot the bill for those 1000 people and the other 9000 aren’t free either when it comes to additional infrastructure.
While other festivals operate during reasonable hours, yours runs full time and can be heard miles away. That’s just plain disrespectful and hasn’t made you any friends over the years.
It will take more due diligence on your behalf before I attend your festival. Then there’s the fact that after listening to the music from adjacent properties (I had no choice) I know its not my cup of tea. While I like many different kinds of music, I found Shambhala music I heard dull and repetitive.
Lastly, I appreciate your response even though I disagree with you on this issue. Thank you for that.
What is this damage control from a PR hack and insiders?
Like I said Jim, we imrpove every year, and constantly address the issues of the community. If you would like to contribute, and help us arrive at solutions rather than just re-hashing the problems, I look forward to hearing from you.
@ britzbritz It’s great you try to address problems but I don’t see it as my place to come up with solutions to problems you create and I think you pass the buck by making that suggestion.
apparently my first comment is still awaiting moderation…the one about emailing me won’t make sense until it is approved. apologies.
Hi Brittany and all the other readers.
Apologies for the delay in approving Brittany’s earlier message. The Inthekoots system will run your comments immediately once you’ve been approved the first time. However, if your comment has two or more links it will be held for moderation.
Multiple links are a red flag regarding potential spammers and the system requires some human eyes to ensure all’s well.
Chris Shepherd,
Inthekoots managine editor
Thanks for the clarification Chris, and totally understandable. We have spam protection on our website’s forums as well. :)
90% of Kootenay Residents want Shambhala to die? The organizers make millions? The taxpayers pay millions?
Jim, can you provide the Kootenay Resident Survey, Shambhala organizer’s bank statements, and government expenditures report? They all sound fascinating.
I admire your passion and respect your perspective, however; In the spirit of real debate, I see importance in sticking to the facts and avoiding assumptions.
It seems to me that knowing is half the battle when it comes to vaild concerns like some of those that have been voiced in reponse to this article, I am sorry to hear that some local resdidents have had negative experiences in regards to this festival, however with any event of this nature and size issues will arise, I have volunteered at this festival for the past 2 years and have been attending as a guest quite a few years prior to that. I have had nothing but positive experiences during the festival working with the people who organize the festival and look forward to it every year (im sure if you reach out to the link that has been provided the people who organize this event would love to help ease your concerns). For me it serves as a way to put my prioritizes back into perspective in this materialistic culture we are all living in today, as well it allows me to connect with people on a emotional level that is hard to achieve in the fast pace race of my day to day life, but finally and most impoartant to me is the fact that it is a celebration of music, love, and spirtuailty that can rarely be found. I personally hope that people will view these statistics in comparison with statistics from any other event or even small city of similar population and see that these types of incidents happen everywhere, and that Shambhala does not condone any illegal activity and takes every possible measure to stop it from occuring, which is proven in this press release stright from the RCMP under final comments.In addition I also would be very interested in seeing a kootenay resident survey on their feelings towards this event, as well as a government expenditues report to further educate myself on all perspectives of this debate.
I truly hope Shambhala continues to grow in the positive direction I have seen it taking in the past few years and hope that these types of concerns can be dealt with in a way that is acceptable to those facing the issues head on, so that there can be more focus placed on all the positive aspects of this festival.
I’d like to see a well done survey too while acknowledging that handing out surveys to Shambhala participants will give different results than handing them out to the festival’s neighbours, I suspect.
“The same millions we spend cleaning up the mess as taxpayers and private citizens. Shame.”
Always with the Shame, Jim.
And all the evils you speak of, you know nothing about. Rapes? I’m sure this does happen but you’re throwing out sound bites demonizing “rave” culture. It’s getting old listening to the media trying to correlate electronic music with the darkness that already exists in society. Only truly stupid people believe the propaganda. Rave does not equal GANG RAPE.
Oy. As I’ve said before, Junebug, unless you are willing to identify yourself, you are just another anonymous participant and your comments go into my round file.
Why does it matter? It’s the internet. Even if she did use a ‘real name’ there’s no guarantee that that’s who she really is.
An interesting comment. I don’t differentiate between my daily life and my internet life in terms of what I will say.
Inthekoots is a regional site that deals with regional issues and we’re a small region. Yes it is on the internet but I deal with folks every day on the internet and they don’t have issues using their real names. I think it is a courtesy and shows respect for others. It also adds weight to your comments when you are willing to stand up and be counted and not hide behind an anonymous handle.
Online presences are not about smoke and mirrors or aliases. As Chris Shepherd said, people feel able to say things they would not say in person while online. If participants use their real names, they are less likely to act poorly and go off the handle as some have here.
And then there is the big one. Using an alias means there is no way I will ever have a chance to speak with you in person even though we likely pass on the street or sit next to each other in restaurants. I won’t know if we have any mutual friends that might bring us together.
We’ll never have the opportunity to find out what we might have in common.
That’s why it matters.
In reading the posts by Mr Ross, I see a lot of assumptions, false blame, and conclusions being made. Mr Ross, you made some great points, as I am sure there are people who are disrespected and inconvenienced by people who choose to leave garbage in people’s yards, and other undesirable actions, during the week of Shambhala. I am confident that if you took the right avenues ie. speaking to someone at the Shambhala head office about your concerns, you would find that they would bend over backward to address your issues. However, it is plain as day as I read this thread that Brit is willing to speak to your concerns and address them in any way she can, and that just doesn’t seem to be good enough for you. Further to that, in the evolution of the posts between you and her, she has remained professional, open and willing to help, and you have become dour and patronizing.
I have to tell you, though, that you really lost me when you started blaming Shambhala music festival for poachers in your yard, your friend getting into an accident, and so on and so forth. How do you give a music festival such power over people? As far as I can see, the blame for these things rest solely on the individual perpetrators. If I am too tired to drive home from a graveyard shift on the medical floor, and I hit someone, am I responsible? Yes, I am. With regard to your comment about assault at Shambhala; if I was assaulted at a baseball game, would you think it fair of me to call for an end to future baseball games? The very fact that you equate every bit of trouble and bad news to a music festival rather than putting the blame on those that are guilty, as INDIVIDUALS, tells me that you are not thinking clearly, and that you have decided in your head that Shambhala is the root of all evil. I salute Brit for her diplomacy and patience in her responses to you, as it can’t be easy arguing logic or reason with someone who has clearly abandoned both concepts.
As a medical professional who attends Shambhala to volunteer my time in first aid and to enjoy what the festival has to offer, I must tell you that this dark and sinister idea of Shambhala could not be further from the truth. Imagine a weekend of amazing performances, art, music, neighborly love, total acceptance, freedom to be yourself, and pure happiness, free from the expectations and demands of your everyday life and the society that you live in. This is why people come from all over the planet make the pilgrimage to the Salmo River Ranch. You cannot possibly understand Shambhala unless you have been there. The very fact that you imply that there is ‘carnage’ as a result of this festival makes it screamingly obvious that you have never been, nor have you ever had an open-minded conversation with anyone that has been to Shambhala. The staff and volunteers work incredibly hard to make this a safe and fun event. You would not believe the lengths that the good people who organize Shambhala go to to ensure that people have a great time, and remain safe. Sure, there are a few bad apples in the bunch, just as there are in ANY city of 10,000 people. Bad things have happened, and proper measures were taken. How do you blame Shambhala for this?
Further to that, Shambhala is constantly looking for ways to improve the experience for not only the festival goers, but for the community at large. They invite all comments and criticisms in a transparent manner, and work within the communities to try and enhance the positive impacts and lessen the negative impacts of the festival. I think Brit’s responses to you demonstrate her willingness to hear you out, and your responses demonstrate that you do not wish to have an intelligent and respectful debate, rather, you would just like to rant and rave and demand an end to the festival. In the future, perhaps you could try proaction rather than reaction?
As an aside, I was shopping in the mall in Nelson a week before Shambhala, and the mall was completely crowded with shoppers. Three different shopkeepers told me that this was the busiest they had ever been, even taking Christmas shopping season into account. There is no doubt with the booming Canadian dollar that the tourism industry has taken a bit of a nosedive. Nelson is a town that is largely dependent on outside money to keep our economy thriving. There is no question in my mind that all of the people who descend upon our communities for a week each summer are good for the livelihood of the shopkeepers in Nelson and surrounding areas. I find it interesting that in your ‘highly informed’ rant, you have failed to show that you see the pros and the cons of Shambhala, which only serves to illuminate the point of how narrow-minded and biased you are.
Mr Ross, you are hardly in any position to make judgement calls on a festival that you have never attended, based on the inconsiderate actions of a few ignorant individuals.
Thanks for making your first post in response to me after 6 months of lurking here at inthekoots, Anna. (@alaur74) Were it not for your personal attack based on assumptions, I would feel honoured. Congratulations on making at least one post.
You seem typical of the sort of Shambhala participants I have an issue with so I am not surprised at your attack. You can’t understand that there may be an opposing point of view to your own and appear to have taken my views personally. You have assumed that I don’t like you while I have many friends who attend Shambhala that I like a lot. It’s not so black and white and you would do us all a service by keeping that in mind.
So much for the respect, peace and love Brittany (@britzbritz) assured me the festival represents. All I see in your post is hatred for someone with a different viewpoint.
Sad and ironic at the same time.
Jim…lurking? is there a quota I did not fill as far as acceptable number of posts? might be because I am hardly ever on here. is that ok with you Jim? do you have any idea how strange you sound? and you won’t respond to people with a screen name either? creepy indeed. Way to drive the point home that many of us are thinking. you, sir, are a troll.
I have no hatred. there is no hate. Hate would imply that I care somewhat for you in some way to give you that energy. you, on the other hand, seem to be giving a tremendous amount of energy to trying to defeat Shambhala.
*sigh*. Dave, it’s nice to see that Jim has rallied the troops.
We are merely trying to show people who ‘demonize’ this music festival the other side. None of our arguments were one-sided. I agreed that there was collateral damage. I just didn’t agree to the fact that the entire onus is on a music festival. And speaking from a utilitarian point of view, the pros outweigh the cons. Shambhala as an organization is very accountable and transparent. They will cover any damages or issues related to the festival, and go above and beyond to appease those who have been negatively affected.
Geez Anna, another personal attack? Stick to the issues.
Rallied the troops? What? Dismiss my opinions as not be valid? Go ahead disregard.
Dave- how is that a personal attack? Jim feels like commenting on me being a member for however long i have been a member, and haven’t posted, tells me I am lurking and uses snide sarcasm to make a totally inane comment about me choosing to finally make a post. Whatever that was about. Weird. Why does he even notice these things? It’s not personal when I say that that is a little creepy. I really mean it.
I don’t dismiss your concerns. AGAIN, I agreed that there is negative fallout. I am sticking to the issues. should I say it again one more time for the cheap seats? TALK TO SOMEONE AT SHAMBHALA ABOUT YOUR CONCERNS, THEY ARE HAPPY TO DISCUSS ALL MATTERS RELATED TO THE FESTIVAL. Seriously? Can you not see that Brittany tried time and time again to engage Jim in a conversation, to see if there was anything they could do to appease him and others who are negatively affected by the festival? It’s all there, above, in black and white.
Dave- one more thing…I don’t work for Shambhala, I am a volunteer. I can say what I feel. This is an opinion piece, and I am allowed to share my opinion. That is what I am doing.
Also, I like your idea of money going to Salmo as an act of good faith. I think it’s a hell of an idea. You and I have more in common than you think. I am on here defending the festival. But I am not blind to your concerns, for what it is worth.
PS I guess I should explain to Jim what a troll is, in light of his weird ‘lurking’ comment, which was clearly meant only to throw a curveball into the conversation…
In Internet slang, a troll is someone who posts inflammatory,extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community, such as an online discussion forum, chat room, or blog, with the primary intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.
Because 10,000 party goers are here because of Shambala. And their collateral damage. Where is the respect for those who live here and call this home?
thanks dave for cutting that out and disregarding the rest of the sentiment. That is some good editing. see above posts re: restitution for collateral damage.
Amazing, one person details reasonable concerns about the larger impacts of 10,000 people on surrounding communities and they receive personal attacks. Seems the Kootenay way to demonize points of view you disagree with.
The Art and Culture community has saturated the Kootenays. We have innumerable festivals all plying to the leisure class.
It is mostly a one way relationship: accomplished on the backs of local communities. Community should rightly expect the return of dues from the elites of the entertainment community – time to give something back (not mere trickle-down).
I propose a royality on the gross ticket sales – 4% – that large events. Funds perhaps directed to a community foundation (like Osprey) which would then become available to support grassroots culture.
4% of Shambala proceeds… 2,500,000 = $100,000. Direct deposit into Salmo’s own community foundation – start one if necessary.
Well, it’s time to get involved. Chris Shepherd here, managing editor for Inthekoots in general and the Nelson Post in particular.
First, I’d like to thank everyone for commenting. The strength of being online is we can have an actual conversation. Imagine how many weeks after Shambhala we’d be if these comments had to appear in a twice-weekly paper.
That ease of discussion allows us to hear different points of view. The challenge is keeping things civil. With a computer screen between yourself and whoever you’re talking with, it can be easy to fall into insulting language and derogatory comments. We’ll type things we’d never say to someone’s face.
When the comments started on this story things were kept civil. Strongly worded, but civil. I was enjoying the back and forth and felt everyone was behaving properly.
We’re skittering towards the edge and frankly have tipped over into inappropriate comments on a few occasions.
I want Inthekoots to be a place where everyone can air their opinions without risk of being attacked. If this network becomes a hostile environment, we’ll lose a portion of our readers, which would lead to this online space becoming a one-sided affair, something I hope nobody wants to see happen.
Please keep that in mind when you post your next comment.
Chris Shepherd,
Managing editor.
You are so right Chris, and I apologize for my part in that. I took exception to the comment that was made about my personal online habits on this site, and I reacted negatively to what I felt was an inflammatory and patronizing remark.
In regard to the ‘carnage’ ie rape, drugs etc that occur within the festival walls: Shambhala is an adult-oriented festival. As such, the attendees are responsible for themselves. The proprietors have taken any and all reasonable measures to keep this festival safe and fun. They spend a tremendous amount of money on security, there are multiple checkpoints in place before you can enter the festival, and I have seen security completely empty vehicles that are loaded to the gunnels to find contraband. There is extensive onsite harm reduction and first aid in place, including outreach workers, social workers, pharmacists, doctors, RNs, LPNs, paramedics and other first aid staff to ensure that people get whatever help they need in a timely manner. There are designated sanctuary areas for people who have taken part in excess, and safe party suggestions and tips on site and on the website. There are roaming ‘shambassadors’ guiding people to their camp, answering questions, welcoming people, and otherwise availing themselves to meet any and all needs of the festival goers.
As I said before, you can’t understand the depth and breadth of the lengths Shambhala goes to to keep the negative occurrences to a minimum unless you have been there and seen it for yourself. They are to be commended for the work they do- there are many music festivals that provide basic first aid and no other comforts or harm reduction/prevention measures. As far as I can see, Shambhala takes responsibility for its attendees in a hundred different ways inside the festival.
My sentiment stays the same, however. I would like to say that I do not disregard the opinions of Dave or Jim. I am a supporter of Shambhala, yes. But I understand that a festival of this size has an impact on the area, it has to. And it makes me feel badly that people are dealing with garbage and/or damage left behind as a result of the festival.
However, it is so clearly obvious that Brit is open and willing to engage in conversation with anyone who might be negatively affected by the festival and its attendees. If you have an issue, bring it to her attention (perhaps in a private setting?) and I think you will see that she, like the Shambhala organization, is transparent, responsible and willing to work with you.
Jim- as far as your comment about your taste in music goes; I have a brother in law who is a staunch blues and rock kind of guy. I took him to Shambhala this year, and he had a blast. We saw some incredible acoustic acts, including an amazing spoken word/blues duet. There is truly something for everyone at this festival. Just give it a try. Brit has extended the invitation. What have you got to lose?
Yes, Boss. I’ll do my best.
Perhaps Shambhala organizers will do their due diligence and investigate a bit more thoroughly to address some of the larger issues that keep many residents from supporting this festival. I don’t think it is too much to ask.
We have many other festivals and gatherings in the Kootenays and none cause the disruption Shambhala does.
Jim: firstly, please accept my apologies if I made you feel attacked.
Secondly- you are right about disruption. I think a lot of that has to do with the sheer size of the festival… the organizers tweak and change things every year based on feedback from attendees and the public. They are one of the most accountable organizations I have ever had the pleasure of working with.
Apology accepted and you should know that unless you come at me with a baseball bat, I probably won’t feel attacked. I’ll just feel engaged.
I did run your comments by 3 folks before I responded and all agreed that it was a bit personal and diverged from the issues.
I’m no troll but do apologize for the comment that stirred you up. I could have worded that better and agree it did have an edge.
Either way, you outed yourself and decided to contribute to this online community and that is a good thing.
I’ve said, more or less everyting I need to say, ladies and gentleman. I feel to continue engaging in this conversation would be to talk in circles.
I believe I’ve clearly outlined the things Shambhala does to address the concerns that were voiced, and have shown that we do our due diligence, and always aim to improve.
We will continue to take measures to lessen the festival’s negative impact on the surrounding communities, as well as strengthen the benefits it brings to them.
Anyone who would like to contact us to voice concerns we may not be aware of, or to help us improve upon solutions for existing issues may email me at britz@shambhalamusicfestival.com.
Thank you. :)
You’re most welcome.
Please consider the impacts of your festival and check out what measures you might take to rectify that. It’s called due diligence.
It’s your responsibility, not mine.
In terms of measures the festival has taken to date, most have been reactive, not proactive and this needs to change. Your own comments indicate the same thing. While you try and deal with issues once you hear about them, you do not take an proactive measures to prevent them or build community support.
While I know that Dave Good will appreciate being called the cavalry, he’s only one man and has a damned good suggestion.
Perhaps you could start there.
The Salmo/Shambhala/Good Foundation. Committed to local communities.
Has a nice ring, don’t you think?