Squamish ski resort gets environmental assessment approval

SQUAMISH (NEWS 1130) – Developers are one step closer to getting permission to build a $3.5 billion ski resort to rival nearby Whistler. The Garibaldi at Squamish project has passed its environmental assessment, but critics are still hoping the development can be stopped.

The Environmental Assessment Office is satisfied that the project presented wouldn’t cause major harm to the environment, public health or the heritage of the area. The plans have been scaled back slightly to factor in feedback given during the assessment project. It will no longer have any golf courses and there will not be any development near Cat and Brohm Lakes. People in Squamish have said having the lakes open for them was important.

The four-season resort proposed by the Aquilini Investment Group and Northland Properties will include ski lifts, trails and guest and residential accommodations. The resort would be 35 minutes closer to Vancouver than Whistler.

There are some who don’t believe that skiing will end up being the main purpose of the project. Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden calls the whole thing a real estate grab. “This is pursuant to the ski area development policy of the province and this isn’t going to be a ski area. The developer is potentially getting Crown land at a very cheap price, at $5,000 per hectare, which is way, way, way below market value to develop a non-ski resort pursuant to the ski resort policy. It makes no sense. The developer has done no weather studies, no snow studies because the intention is not to develop a ski resort.

She says a resort was opened in a similar spot in the 1970s on Brohm Ridge and it did not survive because the weather doesn’t support it.

Squamish Mayor Patricia Heintzmen sees where they’re coming from. “The viability of the ski hill side of it is questionable. There’s a lot of real estate involved with this because there’s a lot of infrastructure that needs to be paid for so I can understand their skepticism.”

The development still needs various types of approval from the regional district and the District of Squamish.

Developers will have to abide by 40 different conditions dealing with groundwater, interactions with wildlife and housing for staff as outlined in a release put forward by the province.

The certificate conditions were developed following consultation and input from Squamish Nation, government agencies, local governments, communities and the public. Key conditions for the project require Garibaldi at Squamish Inc. to:

• limit the rate of groundwater withdrawal from the Paradise Valley aquifer;
• monitor daily water consumption and the levels of the aquifer and develop a web-based tool to allow live public access to this information;
• complete a study that determines potential adverse effects from the construction and operation of groundwater pumping on the sidechannels of the Cheakamus River, which are important salmon spawning habitat;
• retain the services of a qualified person with demonstrated experience and knowledge of environmental monitoring for construction projects in BC, prior to construction;
• complete a Biodiversity Retention Environmental Management Plan to address potential impacts on vegetation and wildlife;
• complete a Brohm River Management Plan to ensure the project does not affect that sensitive river;
• avoid and reduce risks of potential bear-human conflicts and ensure that Garibaldi at Squamish achieves “Bear Smart” status or equivalent designation by no later than the first anniversary of the commencement of operations; and
• provide at least 10 per cent of the resort bed units as employee housing to address adverse effects from potential increases in housing costs and shortages of rental accommodation in Squamish.

In addition, Garibaldi at Squamish Inc. proposed a number of design changes during the environmental assessment, based on feedback received during the process, including:

• changing the water supply from surface water to groundwater;
• removing golf courses from the overall project;
• removing development near Cat and Brohm Lakes, which are important recreational areas to residents of Squamish; and
• eliminating water reservoirs, with the exception of a snowmaking reservoir.

Plans for the development were scaled back during the assessment process and will no longer include any golf courses or development near Cat and Brohm Lakes.