Sometimes you’re good; other times you’re lucky. Other times… well, you throw a clunker or two. Predicting the future isn’t easy if you’re just a lowly, ink-stained journalist and not a clairvoyant. But we did get a few right, sort of, in our predictions for 2012.
On Dec. 30, 2011, we predicted an Obama victory in the U.S. election, that the Sea to Sky Gondola would have all its approvals in place by year’s end and that Garibaldi at Squamish would be back in the news. Full points on the first two, half a point on the third — GAS merely made a cameo appearance with its “public information session” that was short on real “news.”
We also predicted that the Squamish Oceanfront would have a developer by year’s end (clank!) and that the Sea to Sky Gondola proponents would still be having difficulty attracting investors (clunk!). We’re told that’s not a concern, though we anxiously await news of a construction start date as 2012 draws to a close.
For 2013, the most obvious “big” story is the B.C. election in May. Here’s the scoop: New Democrats 57 seats, Liberals 22, Conservatives 5, Greens 1. The Gordon Campbell/Christy Clark regime will come crashing down after 12 years. In our own riding, the Liberals will win the seat with “star” candidate Pamela Martin (with apologies to Jordan Sturdy, a fine small-town mayor who lacks the riding-wide profile to guarantee a Liberal win in the riding).
GAS will be back in the news, winning conditional environmental certification during the summer months. However, the community will remain divided on the proposal (especially if proponents stick with the current mega-resort plan) and backers will still be trying to make their case in Squamish by year’s end.
The gondola will be under construction by year’s and will begin operations in the spring of 2014 — about six months behind schedule.
What else? Squamish’s bear problem, which saw 12 bruins shot as a result of careless trash and/or fruit tree management in 2012, will persist. The Nordic Legacy Park, including training-sized ski jumps, will open for summer training.
That’s all for now and remember, you heard it here first.
— David Burke
