The Friends of the Library book sale in May happened at the Schubert Centre, instead of the city's curling rink. (file photo/Vernon Matters Staff)

By Liam Verster

Addressing Rental Fee Concens

City of Vernon disputes claim of 32 per cent increase as it addresses rising rental fee

Jun 25, 2025 | 10:27 AM

Local agencies have been voicing concerns about the rising recreation rental fees, but the City of Vernon has disputed claims of extreme rate increases.

In May, the Greater Vernon Chamber of Commerce called for the city to review its fees and charges for the rental of city properties, citing increases to the rates including a 30 per cent increase in the cost to rent the recreation centre for Creative Chaos, and a 300 per cent increase in the fee to rent the parking lot at Kal Tire Place for the Vernon Farmers’ Market.

In a release, the City of Vernon said it introduced fee categories in 2023, which involved community rates for non-revenue events like weddings and meetings; a private-sponsored rate for fundraising and ticketed events; and a commercial rate for for-profit ventures. These were also being phased in over five to 10-year period to support event organizers.

The city then went on to say recent reports of a 32 per cent fee increase for some groups were misleading and without context.

“The updated rates reflect the phased implementation and aligns fees consistently across event types and venues. Event organizers continue to benefit from subsidized rates and city support,” the city said.

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“The city provides support to event organizers through grants, transitional pricing, subsidies, while also working with our event partners to identify the most affordable and appropriate option for the event.”

The City of Vernon added it and Tourism Vernon provided $540,000 in direct and in-kind funding between 2022 and 2024 to support local organizations hosting events.

Vernon City Council plans to introduce a new event hosting program in the fall of 2025 as well, which would provide further financial assistance to qualifying organizations hosting events that produce local economic and cultural benefit. It added the Active Living Centre, once complete, will also offer enhanced event-hosting capacity for local organizations planning events.

“The city recognizes and values the role events play in shaping Vernon’s identity and quality of life. While there have been suggestions that the City has reduced support, rather, we are evolving our approach to make it more equitable and sustainable,” the release stated.

“We will continue to support events in different ways including financial and in-kind contributions. Every step taken has been grounded in consultation, community feedback, and a common goal to see events flourish in Vernon.”

The City of Vernon met with Greater Vernon Chamber members to discuss the fees and charges model at a closed meeting Tuesday, June 24.