The prospect of a Great Wolf Lodge in Squamish is “not a done deal,” according to officials behind the proposal.
At about this time last year, The Jim Pattison Group proposed building the resort at Centennial Way and Highway 99 where it already owns some land, but the company still needed to acquire additional land from the province and the District of Squamish.
In December 2015, Squamish council OK’d district staff to enter into talks with the company.
Squamish is still at the top of a list of places to locate the family-friendly hotel and indoor waterpark but the company has hit a snag trying to obtain the land earmarked for the tourist beacon.
“We are pursuing all options in the Lower Mainland,” said Keith Simmonds, general manager of Great Wolf Lodge. “We are very interested in the Squamish area and it is a complicated process.”
According to Mayor Patricia Heintzman, the company is in negotiations with the provincial government, which includes First Nations consultation, and hasn’t yet submitted a formal proposal to the District of Squamish.
A provincial representative told The Squamish Chief no other information was available.
The resort would be made up of themed hotel rooms, restaurants, a 100,000-square-foot waterpark and would employ about 670 full and part-time staff, including 50 for manager-level positions.
