A teenage employee looks up from a phone as a parent stands at the entrance of a trampoline park, watching their child bounce toward a foam pit with a certain kind of uneasiness. It is a reasonable and automatic assumption that an official has verified the safety of this location. That assumption has long been incorrect for a surprising number of amusement devices in British Columbia.
The province’s amusement device safety framework is currently undergoing a protracted overhaul that dates back more than 20 years to the original Safety Standards Act of 2003. Then-Minister George Abbott introduced the legislation, which established Technical Safety BC as an independent body and combined four different safety acts into one. At the time, it was regarded as progressive. However, the entertainment sector has evolved in ways that no one in Victoria could have predicted in the years since. The popularity of trampoline parks skyrocketed. Throughout the province, zip line courses were found in forests. Go-kart tracks, bungee jumping, and tree-top adventure parks all opened with little to no regulatory oversight. Simply put, none of it was taken into consideration when the law was drafted, when the category was defined by roller coasters and Ferris wheels.
The fact that the gaps have been well-documented and acknowledged for years makes BC’s situation especially awkward. The current Elevating Devices Safety Regulation does not apply to trampoline parks, go-karts, tree-top adventure courses, or bungee devices, according to a list made public by Technical Safety BC. Trampolines are not even covered by the CSA Z267 standard, which was enacted under provincial law. When a death happened at a British Columbian trampoline park in January 2018, it became more difficult to ignore that silence. Approximately 14,000 people were reportedly hurt at trampoline parks in the United States in 2016 alone, a statistic that alarmed Canadian regulators.
By the end of 2019, the Ministry received formal recommendations from Technical Safety BC to change the rules governing amusement rides. Following a public and industry consultation process that solicited feedback from operators, safety advocates, and the general public, those recommendations were made. Since then, those proposals have been reviewed by the Ministry, which has the final say over whether and how changes are implemented. As of 2026, the regulatory modifications are still marked as “under review with the Ministry of Housing.” The speed has tried the patience of those on both sides of the debate for a matter involving documented fatalities and public safety.
This is part of a larger pattern that goes far beyond British Columbia. Provinces across Canada have been struggling to adapt amusement safety regulations designed for conventional midway rides to a sector that is now dominated by adventure experiences and activities controlled by patrons. In 2018, Alberta adopted ASTM F2783 standards, which for the first time covered parasailing, aquatic play equipment, and trampoline courts. The Technical Standards and Safety Authority of Ontario claimed to have inspected 2,000 amusement parks in a single year. In contrast, British Columbia’s strategy has progressed more slowly, which some perceive as meticulous consideration and others as bureaucratic drift.
When the proposed changes are implemented, it is anticipated that Technical Safety BC will be in charge of previously unregulated devices. The authority claims that by giving operators tools, advice, and risk-reduction strategies, the revised program seeks to foster what it refers to as a “culture of safety”. More devices than ever before would be subject to new design registration regulations, installation permits, and operating permits. Compliance costs may be high for small businesses operating seasonal attractions in rural areas. It might just formalize the voluntary practices that the larger commercial parks have already embraced.
The discrepancy between intention and execution is difficult to ignore. There is a legislative framework. There is a safety authority. The consultations are over. The suggestions have been sent in. Families visiting unregulated attractions today, however, continue to operate on the same level of trust that they did seven years ago, prior to the start of a formal review. The final regulations might be comprehensive, precise, and efficient. However, until they are put into action, BC’s modernization initiative is essentially just a promise posted on a government website that has not yet been carried out.
