Pitt Meadows tightens night filming rules after Sheridan Hill petition calls for halt

Pitt Meadows is putting a 9 p.m. hard stop on filming in the Sheridan Hill neighbourhood after residents raised concerns about late-night productions, noise, bright lights and repeated disruptions near their homes.

Council voted unanimously Sept. 22 to designate Sheridan Hill as a filming “hot spot” for evening filming while the city undertakes a broader review of its film policy.

The decision stops short of a request from some residents to halt filming in the neighbourhood altogether. Film permits will continue to be issued, but productions in Sheridan Hill will have to be completely shut down by 9 p.m., including packing up equipment and leaving the site.

“This is definitely a quality of life issue, and for some, the safety, their safety and loss of privacy,” said Coun. Bob Meachen. “The principal zone for Sheridan Hill is residential; it is not a business zone.”

The restriction came as an amendment to staff’s recommendation, which had proposed continuing to approve permits under existing rules until the policy review was finished.

The issue reached council after the city received a July petition signed by residents representing 15 of Sheridan Hill’s 28 properties. It asked the city to stop approving new filming applications in the area and revoke permits allowing after-hours filming.

Several residents appeared before council Tuesday to describe what they said has become an increasingly disruptive presence in the rural neighbourhood.

Karen, a Sheridan Hill resident who spoke on behalf of herself and neighbours who signed the petition, said their concern was not with the film industry itself, but with the cumulative effects of productions.

“This is not about one isolated inconvenience,” she said. “It’s about the frequency, scale, duration, and cumulative impact of filming.”

Residents described generators running at night, production lighting shining into bedrooms, increased traffic and crews working close to neighbouring properties. Sandra, who said she has lived on Sheridan Drive for 37 years, told council filming had grown more frequent and moved closer to her home over the years.

Jennifer, another resident, similarly told council she was not opposed to occasional filming, but wanted stronger limits on its frequency, scale and hours.

The residents’ petition also cited concerns including noise, bright lighting, traffic, privacy, trespassing, garbage and interference with agricultural activities.

But another Sheridan Hill property owner urged council not to prohibit filming while the policy review is underway.

Darrell Brown said his family recently hosted a production after going more than three years without filming and relies on the income to supplement its retirement.

“Please continue to allow film permits under the existing policies and procedures, and do not let a privately circulated petition become the basis for changing the rules before the review is complete,” Brown said.

City records provide a somewhat different picture of filming frequency than residents described.

Between 2021 and 2026 year-to-date, Sheridan Hill hosted filming on 83 days across three properties, an average of about 15 days annually. The average production lasted seven days and the longest lasted 10 days. Six productions received permission to operate outside regular noise bylaw hours, accounting for 24 days of after-hours filming.

Staff told council the normal cutoff for filming is 9 p.m., although exceptions have previously been granted. The latest permitted filming had ended at midnight on one occasion and 1 a.m. on one or two occasions, staff said.

That did not necessarily mean activity at the site ended at those times, however, because crews still had to tear down equipment and move it elsewhere.

Coun. Bob Meachen said waiting for the city’s proposed 2027 review before addressing residents’ concerns was too long.

“My perspective on that is that the residents don’t feel that they should have to wait until business planning and another 12 months potentially out into the future,” he said. “So I don’t think that cuts it for the folks we’ve heard this evening.”

Meachen proposed amending the recommendation to continue allowing filming while identifying Sheridan Hill as a hot spot for evening productions, with a strict 9 p.m. cutoff.

“That’s a hard stop at 9 p.m.,” Meachen said. “That means everything has to be curtailed completely. No traffic moving, no people moving, nothing. Everything is off-site, done, and shut.”

Meachen noted that he heard “loud and clear” that residents’ accounts did not match the picture conveyed by city records.

Sheridan Hill won’t be the first Pitt Meadows neighbourhood treated as a filming hot spot. Osprey Village previously received that designation after complaints from residents and businesses, leading to temporary restrictions followed by additional mitigation measures.

Coun. Alison Evans said the 9 p.m. restriction struck a balance between residents’ concerns and allowing filming to continue.

“I’m not sure a ban on filming is appropriate,” Evans said. “But hearing that this mitigation might be a nice compromise, I’m in support.”

Coun. Mike Manion also supported the cutoff, pointing to concerns raised about late-night activity and alleged trespassing and drone use.

“I would welcome the fact that we’re reviewing our (policies) and ensuring that in this particular case it’s a hard stop at 9 o’clock,” he said.

Mayor Nicole MacDonald said a broader review was warranted given concerns raised in Sheridan Hill and potentially elsewhere in the city.

“I think this is a fair mitigating strategy from today forward,” MacDonald said.

Council also directed staff to review the city’s film policy and related procedures through its 2027 business plan and to conduct public engagement, including specific outreach to Sheridan Hill residents. Staff estimated the policy review itself could take two to three months.

The city’s staff report says Pitt Meadows has not yet conducted public consultation on the issue beyond receiving the petition.

The amended motion passed unanimously.