Garibaldi at Squamish (GAS) will have to provide more information about the potential adverse environmental effects of its proposed resort before it will be eligible for the environmental assessment certificate it has been seeking for more than a decade. GAS proponents have three years from today (June 11, 2010) to gather the requested information.
After considering the final report and recommendation from B.C.'s Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) and "other matters they considered relevant to the public interest," Environment Minister Barry Penner and Tourism, Arts and Culture Minister Kevin Krueger made the decision to accept the EAO's recommendation and require additional information from the proponent.
"I have particular concern around the potential impact to fish and other aquatic species in Brohm Creek," said Penner. "Minister Krueger also expressed specific concerns about public safety given that a number of dams were proposed above some of the residential facilities."
The EAO's recommendation, kept confidential until the minister's decision, said the EA process had adequately completed most of the necessary requirements but crucial information was lacking.
The EAO were satisfied with public consultation and First Nations consultation, but due to insufficient information from the proponent were unable to address the potential environmental effects in five major areas: water supply and hydrology, fish and fish habitat, wildlife and wildlife habitat, vegetation and water reservoirs and dams.
Despite project EAO director Grahan McLaren's insistence that the proponent provide more information, GAS did not answer outstanding questions and rather promised to resolve the above issues as part of the permitting process.
The ministers did not accept this proposal and said it "would undermine the purpose and intent of the B.C. Environmental Assessment Act."
The ministers ordered the proponents to go back and conduct a full project review, filling in all the missing information. Penner said three years was a realistic time period because "so far we've only got 12 months worth of detailed stream flow data, but we would like to have at least three years worth of data."
Mayor Greg Gardner was surprised by the province's decision because he was under the impression there were three possible outcomes - the issuance of an EA certificate, the issuance of a conditional EA certificate or the denial of a certificate.
Squamish council was advised these were the three options before they sent a letter to the EAO based on a draft report.
"[The district] requests that the [environmental assessment] report recommend an approval, conditional or otherwise, not be issued for the GAS proposal in its current form," stated the council-endorsed letter.
Gardner said the EA process was stopped a number of times to request additional information and there was a letter issued by the EA office to the proponent in December 2009 indicating the ministers would be asked to make a decision.
"Given the number of opportunities to provide adequate information, giving the proponent more time to provide information is somewhat surprising."
Penner said he interpreted Squamish council's statement to allow for the project's revision.
"What Minister Krueger and I both took particular note of was that the resolution passed by the District of Squamish said it did not support the proposal in its current form," said Penner. "So it appears that the District of Squamish was leaving the door open to supporting a proposal that was revised in some way."
Penner said there aren't many applications that have been in the EA process for as long as GAS.
GAS board member since 1993 Janice Grimes wasn't disheartened.
"It wasn't a yes but it also wasn't a no," she said. "So even though it's not a yes with conditions, which is what the proponent was asking for, in a lot of respects it is a yes with conditions."
She criticized council's motion against GAS, and said they should get on board.
"Eventually there will be an EA certificate, eventually there will be a local process and it's time for them to get engaged," she said,
"I don't think that there's any chance that there won't be a development up there, it's a question of when and who's going to build it."
A recent comment by the anti-GAS Save Garibaldi Group said ministers never reject a proposal that reaches this stage of the environmental assessment process.
Minister of Environment public affairs officer Santanu Dalal said this wasn't true and "the Kemess North Mine was denied an environmental assessment certificate by the Province in 2008."
Friends of Garibaldi are planning to make a presentation to council at Tuesday's (June 15) council meeting, asking them to confirm council's support in principal for the 1996 Garibaldi Alpen Resorts Lmt's Brohm Ridge proposal.
Calls to GAS vice-president George McKay and CEO David Negrin were not returned by press time.
