Major players at Whistler are going flat out trying to kill a proposed four-season resort that would open a major ski hill 35 minutes closer to Vancouver.
Whistler Blackcomb, the resort municipality of Whistler, Tourism Whistler, the Whistler Chamber of Commerce and others are fiercely lobbying the province’s environmental assessment office to reject the Garibaldi at Squamish proposal, arguing it’s a poor area for skiing and would end up hurting the corridor’s reputation. A decision is expected this fall.
They also say if the resort — proposed by the Aquilini Investment Group and Northland Properties, which developed Revelstoke Mountain Resort — gets the green light, it would siphon off Whistler-bound skiers.
The Whistler Chamber of Commerce and the Hotel Association of Whistler say the new resort, which would be northeast of Squamish on Mount Garibaldi’s Brohm Ridge, would compete for employees, forcing Whistler businesses to raise salaries.
“The negative impacts of the federal government’s changes in both the temporary foreign workers program and the working visa program have yet to be fully felt in the job market,” said Stephen Webb, hotel association chair and general manager of Hilton Whistler Resort and Spa, in a letter to the environmental assessment office. “Competition for the available labour will potentially result in much higher wage bills for all employers.”
However, Whistler’s aggressive fight against the proposed resort may be starting to backfire, with Squamish residents — many of whom question Garibaldi at Squamish’s viability — maintaining it’s their decision to make and not Whistler’s.
Last month, for example, Squamish Chief editor Christine Endicott wrote a column citing the economic benefits Garibaldi at Squamish could bring to her town — and essentially telling Whistler to butt out.
“After construction, 2,500 full-time-equivalent jobs would remain, and the resort would bolster the tax base for all residents,” wrote Endicott. “This decision will be made by residents of Squamish and Squamish Nation. It should not be decided by people in Whistler, who have their own interests in mind.”
And while the district of Squamish also questions the validity of the project, former councillor Paul Lalli wrote a recent letter to the Chief saying Garibaldi at Squamish would provide a big boost to the town’s tourism economy.
“I strongly believe that the decision on whether or not this all-season resort proceeds should be in the hands of the people of Squamish and the Squamish Nation.”
The $3.5-billion resort, which would be built on the rim of an ancient volcano, would include 124 ski runs on 668 hectares, three gondolas, 18 chairlifts and three on-mountain lodges. There would be three interconnected villages, with 5,723 housing and hotel units.
Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden disputes the notion it’s an issue for Squamish only, arguing Garibaldi would affect the entire corridor. She also suggested that Garibaldi at Squamish is a real estate grab, and that Squamish should focus on projects such as its oceanfront plan. “One of the things that the Sea to Sky Corridor doesn’t have is the sea aspect of it.”
Wilhelm-Morden said the snow on Brohm Ridge is questionable and that the proponent hasn’t conducted any snow studies.
The Black Tusk Snowmobile Club says on its website that Brohm Ridge offers “breathtaking peaks [and] endless powder.”
