Garibaldi at Squamish has protested the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District’s efforts to change language in its Regional Growth Strategy, but that hasn’t stopped the regional board from bringing that motion a step closer to reality.
Following a public hearing, the SLRD voted during its latest meeting in favour of referring the amendments to the growth strategy to affected local governments for acceptance.
This is the last phase before this motion enters third reading. If third reading is passed, the amendments will be a virtual certainty.
There is a special significance for Regional Growth Strategies. While these documents aren’t the be-all, end-all of local bylaws, they are used as guidelines for future development.
Proponents of the proposed Garibaldi at Squamish all-season resort have sounded the alarm over changes that they believe unfairly target resorts.
Specifically, if passed, the SLRD’s motion would “remove the destination resort language found on pages 24-26 of the RGS Bylaw,” according to an information report presented to the regional board.
“The Regional Growth Strategy has been around for... seven years now and the language in it has focused development on urban areas and existing planned communities, and so our goal is to strengthen that language,” said Jack Crompton, the SLRD’s chair, at a townhall meeting last month.
Representatives for the proposed Garibaldi at Squamish resort have said that the amendments to the Regional Growth Strategy could either hinder or prevent the resort from approval.
However, Crompton said that this motion doesn’t have the power to take down an applicant.
“Local government can’t extinguish anyone’s opportunity to bring an application, and if the provincial government decides to go down this path, it will be in front of the regional district at some point in the future,” he said.
On the other hand, Crompton noted that the SLRD — along with Whistler, Squamish and Pemberton — has gone on record in the past to say that it is against the development.
The SLRD’s opinion on the proposed resort hasn’t changed, he said.
Rod MacLeod, the vice-president of planning at Garibaldi at Squamish, has expressed much concern over the SLRD’s proposed changes to the growth strategy.
“Garibaldi at Squamish opposes this proposal to amend the Regional Growth Strategy, which changes our mountain resort project from being specifically encouraged to specifically discouraged,” said MacLeod in a letter written to the board.
“The proposed RGS changes are unfair, as they are coming while we are in the process of undertaking all of the studies asked of us by the province as we work towards final approval of the resort.”
He also added that SLRD staff members have told his company that the proposed amendments will not affect the application process because Regional Growth Strategy, zoning, and official community plan changes would have to be made in order for the project to be approved.
“We do not agree with the concept that we would have to amend the RGS anyway when the current destination resort guidelines specifically allows for what we are proposing,” he said.
MacLeod also said the resort would bring economic benefits in the form of millions of dollars in direct and indirect taxation, creating revenue for all levels of government.
He said thousands of jobs would be created during the construction and operation of the development.
The resort would also protect forested areas that would otherwise be logged, MacLeod said.
Squamish Nation culture would be protected and highlighted, he added.
The Nation, which has a partnership agreement with Garibaldi at Squamish, has also expressed concern about the SLRD’s proposed changes.
A letter from Chief Gibby Jacob said the Nation disagrees with changes that would remove destination resort language from the Regional Growth Strategy.
“The Squamish Nation asserts and maintains Aboriginal and commercial interests in the Squamish-Lillooet Regional District, and the proposed amendments will significantly affect the economic development opportunities in the region for our people,” he wrote.
He also expressed “deep” disappointment that the SLRD hasn’t discussed the proposed amendments with the Nation, and asked for further dialogue in this matter.
However, briefing notes presented to the SLRD say that staffers from the regional district reached out to the Nation multiple times to arrange a meeting, but the Nation didn’t respond.
The Environmental Assessment Office has given the project approval, which is subject to 40 conditions that the developer is working to fulfill.
If Garibaldi at Squamish becomes a reality, it will bring an all-seasons destination resort to Brohm Ridge.
