MDC is reviewing our Responsible Freedom Camping Bylaw. This was last reviewed in 2016 so we are looking to ensure it meets the needs of our residents, visitors, and communities, while also bringing it into line with national best practice and government direction.
Recent changes regarding freedom camping laws mean our current rules are outdated. The Self-contained Motor Vehicles Legislation Act 2023 has been passed into law by government. This means there are some nation-wide changes to where people can freedom camp, the meaning of ‘self-contained vehicle’, and changes to infringement fees and fines.
Reviewing our bylaw will ensure we stay aligned with new legislation and manage responsible camping within the Mackenzie District, while ensuring we protect the things that make the Mackenzie District special for our visitors and residents.
Let us know what you think!
To help us shape up a new bylaw, we want to know what the community thinks.
To do this we will be carrying out a brief survey which seeks to understand what people feel about Freedom Camping in the Mackenzie District and any issues they see from a community perspective.
We’ll be using the feedback we receive to help inform the changes to the Bylaw before taking them to Council for adoption and formal notification.
This survey will be open until 13 August and can be found here.
It’s important to note that this is just a first step – once Council has approved an updated bylaw it will go through a statutory notification process, where the community will have another opportunity to provide feedback on the bylaw itself.