As the Whistler Question reports, Live Nation, the festival’s promoter, has released a statement saying the company has put planning to host the next Pemberton Festival on hold while they work with local officials “on issues which will make the festival financially feasible for us.”

“For the time being, we have put plans to stage the next Pemberton Festival on hold while we work with local officials on issues which will make the festival financially feasible for us. We hope that we will be able to bring back the Festival to Pemberton at some point in the future,” the statement went on to read.

Live Nation did not elaborate on what “issues” are exactly preventing the festival’s return, however, issues surrounding liquor sales, policing costs, and conditions from CN Rail as well as the question of preserving the agricultural capability of the festival grounds have all been proved to be particularly problematic in recent months. We’ll have more information as it becomes available.

According to the Whistler Question, local officials are continuing their discussions to facilitate a return of Pemberton, seeking to address outstanding items and questions that have apparently been raised by the festival’s producers, Live Nation. In addition to the question of preserving the agricultural capability of the lands, the two sides have been dealing with issues surrounding liquor sales, policing costs, conditions from CN Rail, and some local businesses wanting buyouts over the course of events.

As the Question goes on to note, Paul Edgington, the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District’s Chief Administrative Officer, told lawmakers that because many of these aforementioned issues are still not resolved, a 2011 festival might be more likely than a 2010 event.

“I think things are still being planned to come back; it’s just a question, ‘Is it 2010 or 2011?’”

That idea comes “based on conversations I’ve had with [Live Nation’s president of talent for international music] Shane Bourbonnais, saying they would rather do it right than do it quickly, and they’d like to have all of the things that stand between them and profitability addressed in sufficient lead times that allow them to properly source and secure things like security and a host of other contracted services that they rely on,” Edgington said.

Emails from Consequence of Sound to Pemberton inquiring about the likelihood of the festival’s return in 2010 have not been returned. As always, we’ll keep you updated as more becomes known.

Perhaps this is no better exemplified in the future of two of last year’s newest heavy hitters: the Rothbury Music Festival and the Pemberton Music Festival.

As we reported earlier this week, the Michigan based Rothbury Music Festival moved one step closer to returning for its sophomore edition after reaching an agreement with a U.S. Bankruptcy Court on the lease of the festival’s home, the Double JJ Resort, over the weekend. The only thing standing in agreement’s way was approval by a federal bankruptcy judge, something which Judge Jeffrey R. Hughes granted on Thursday afternoon. As a result, Rothbury will indeed return in 2009, reportedly between July 2 and 5.

Unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your experience last year, one of Rothbury’s contemporaries up north will not. According to numerous media outlets, the Pemberton Music Festival, which brought Tom Petty, Jay-Z, Coldplay, and nearly 60 other acts to Pemberton, British Columbia last July, has been canceled for this summer. Live Nation, the company behind the three-day event, cited problems its inability to obtain permission from B.C.’s Agricultural Land Commission as the reason behind the cancellation. The commission had concerns over whether improvements to many of last year’s issues, such as transportation and water-disposal problems, would be made in time for this year’s edition.

Organizers do however plan to return in 2010. Per The Province:

“We had had some internal conversations this week … and we think it is in the festival’s best interests to focus on 2010,” said Shane Bourbonnais, president of touring and business development for Live Nation Canada.

“It is unfortunate, but we really want to make sure that when we bring it back that we bring back a great event and we don’t repeat the problems that we had last year.”

Bourbonnais went on to promise that Pemberton will correct the afforementioned problems and return in 2010 with a bang. “We have set the stage that the Pemberton Festival is about the biggest bands in the world and we didn’t want to come back with a lineup that was not bigger or better or at least equal to 2008…It will be the biggest bands out there.”

Of course, we’ve heard that before.

As always, we’ll keep you updated.

Friday: Nine Inch Nails, Interpol, Serj Tankian, Wolfmother, Metric, Junkie Xl, Booka Shade, Chromeo

Saturday: Tom Petty, Tragically Hip, Flaming Lips, My Morning Jacket, MSTRKRFT, Buck 65

Sunday: Coldplay, Jay-Z, Death Cab for Cutie, N.E.R.D., Vampire Weekend, Matisyahu, DJ Shadow

In addition to these line-up announcements, Pemberton Festival organizers have also announced single day tickets that will be available starting June 13^th. For complete ticket info and line-ups go to the official site.