Major Planned Events

What is a Major Planned Event?

A “major planned event” is any planned temporary gathering in B.C. whose nature, expected attendance level, duration and/or location challenge the response capability of a community (local first responders and/or local community). It requires special planning by one or more agencies to minimize the impact on health and safety. A major planned event is also referred to as a “mass gathering.”

B.C. Guidelines for Major Planned Events

The Government of British Columbia (Ministry of Health) in collaboration with stakeholders has developed the Public Health Guidelines: Major Planned Events to help event organizers and host communities work together to plan for major events. The guidelines are intended to complement the British Columbia Major Planned Events Guidelines (PDF, 55KB), developed by Emergency Management BC in 2014.

The Public Health Guidelines: Major Planned Events provide an overall event-planning framework. They have information on the event organizer's role in planning for public health concerns and reducing incidents associated with major planned events. They also include details on obtaining necessary approvals from the local health authority.

The document provides an overview of major planned events, fact sheets on the main public health issues associated with such events and a sample "to-do" checklist.

Along with the complete document, the fact sheets are available below as separate files.

Public Health Guidelines: Major Planned Events (PDF, 599KB)

Fact Sheet #1: Drinking Water (PDF, 172KB)

Fact Sheet #2: Safe Food (PDF, 157KB)

Fact Sheet #3: Sanitation (PDF, 159KB)

Fact Sheet #4: Solid and Liquid Waste Management (PDF, 157KB)

Fact Sheet #5: Harm Reduction (PDF, 213KB)

Fact Sheet #6: Opioid Overdose Response (PDF, 292KB)