Scattered snow and ongoing drought have begun to affect summer events across the province, with some organizers making changes to their event schedules or canceling them altogether.

Earlier this week, the Fort St. John International Airshow Association announced the cancellation of its long-awaited airshow in August, citing concerns about wildfire risks amid the ongoing drought in the Peace region.

The Kamloopa Powwow Association also rescheduled its annual three-day celebration from August to June 28-30 to avoid extreme heat and potential wildfire smoke.

Similarly, the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society announced the dates for its annual Roots and Blues Music Festival, from August 26 to 28.

For Sandy Miller, the producer of the Fort St. John International Airshow, this was a difficult decision.

She said in an interview with CBC's Daybreak North program: "It is definitely a very difficult decision for our group. We spent two years working on the show."

The last airshow in the city was in 2022 after a five-year hiatus, with weather and pandemic-related concerns and runway upgrades leading to the event being shut down in previous years.

Miller said this time the issue is the double impact of inadequate resources and wildfire risk.

She continued, "It is difficult to find resources, especially people and volunteers, and the wildfire situation is expected to be very bad this year... we had almost no snow."

When wildfire season is underway, there is heavy air traffic at our airport. So, lots of helicopters, lots of planes, and water bombers will be coming in and out of our airports. So having an [airshow] would conflict with that."

British Columbia... A report from the River Forecast Centre released Thursday revealed that snow levels across the province are 39 percent below normal, heightening concerns about wildfire risks amid worsening drought conditions throughout the province.

Aaron Hill, the executive director of the Watershed Watch Salmon Society, said that unless there is a significant improvement in snow levels in the coming months, British Columbia will remain in a precarious state. It may face a repeat of the devastating wildfires seen in 2023.

He told CBC News: "We really need to see very strong, bold, and proactive drought planning from the province. All these areas likely to experience water stress must have plans for water sustainability."

Preventive Measures

Organizers of other summer events are also taking precautionary measures.

Melissa Mathias, treasurer and care coordinator for the Kamloopa Powwow Association, said this is the first time the event is held outside of August.

The Kamloopa Powwow is one of the largest gatherings in Western Canada to celebrate the Secwepemc people's heritage in the province.

She wrote in an email to CBC, "There have been severe heat waves in August, especially with dancers wearing formal regalia, there are safety concerns about heatstroke as well."

Mathias added that it is better to err on the side of caution than risk people's welfare.

She said, "Last year, there was devastation with our First Nations neighbors in Chase, Squilax, where fires swept through their community and people lost their homes."

"That was in 2023, and back in 2003, there were fires in every direction... attendance at the powwow was very low, and it was difficult to generate enough revenue for operations."

Organizers with the Salmon Arm Folk Music Society say wildfires last year caused significant disruption to the Roots and Blues Music Festival, which was canceled after its first night of performances.

Althea Mongerson, marketing coordinator for the community, said, "Although the city of Salmon Arm was not directly under an evacuation order, air quality declined, ... and travel restrictions were imposed province-wide; it simply was not possible or safe for us to continue our event."

Our community then had to undertake a large-scale process to refund tickets and donations, which, as you can imagine, had a financial impact."

She said the organizing team is taking extra precautions this year, including increasing shade, as well as the number of water stations and resting areas throughout the festival grounds.