The B.C. Environmental Assessment Office has suspended the environmental approval application for the Garibaldi at Squamish (GAS) development, announced regional lawmakers Thursday (Sept. 20).
The suspension delays the process for an additional 180 days, said Squamish Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) board members were told during their monthly meeting in Pemberton yesterday.
Paul Edgington, SLRD senior administrator, broke the news to lawmakers.
"The process won't resume until the additional information is received," said Edgington, adding that EAO officials have promised that the public will have an opportunity to review and comment on the proposal when the process resumes."They've stopped the clock based on the conclusion that insufficient information is at hand to make a decision," said Edgington.
Mayor Ian Sutherland, on of two Squamish directors at the SLRD table called it "a setback for Garibaldi at Squamish.""But it's exactly what [Squamish council] asked for, and what the SLRD asked for," he said.
SLRD director for Electoral Area D, John Turner, said he was pleased with the decision.
"The danger before us was that we didn't have time and we had insufficient information on which to comment," he said.Both the SLRD and Squamish District councils requested a suspension of the process late last month in letters to environmental assessment officer Graeme McLaren after finding the application for the large resort and residential development incomplete.
Neither leaders nor the public could provide adequate comment, they said.
"The level of sprawl demonstrated in the plans presented to date, and particularly with the increased residential component, are inconsistent with the values embraced by both the SLRD and the District of Squamish and are therefore unacceptable," stated the district staff letter.
And on Aug. 27, the SLRD board voted to request that the province suspend the environmental assessment process following "significant information gaps" in the application.
The EAO nonetheless received close to 3,000 emails on the topic, according to GAS CEO Mike Esler.
