These letter was copied to The Chief for publication.
Mayor and councillors,
I was very distressed when I first heard the news that Garibaldi at Squamish is so close to being a reality. I have only lived in Squamish for the last two years, but in those two years I have come to love the town for its accessibility to untouched beauty.
I have tried to take advantage of the endless possibilities of activities to do on a sunny day. Garibaldi at Squamish is development project in the wrong direction. People that ski in Squamish currently do it because of its great accessibility to backcountry.
This project is for money not for the genuine love of skiing. This project concerns me because it will take away from Squamish's natural beauty, it is unsustainable environmentally, and is will cause the town's mentality to move away from the genuine love of outdoor recreation to viewing it as money making endeavour.
I have been skiing my entire life, and go up to whistler almost every weekend. It is assumed that as a skier that I would love to have a ski resort in my own town.
I have looked at the lift layout and the yearly snow pack and realized this resort is not for the convenience of skiers or for the love of the sport.
I beg you to ask the questions: What is the motivation for Garibaldi at Squamish? Does that motivation comply with Squamish's genuine love for outdoor recreation? And does it uphold Squamish's high environmental standards?
Thank you for reading my concerns and I hope that you share them.
Cassandra Elliott
Squamish
Cassandra,Thanks for the email. We did have a presentation at Council yesterday on GAS but I can assure you that this development is a long way from being a reality. One of the main tasks for this developer in the next months will be engaging the public to address your concerns. I think we all are aware of the many challenges this development faces and it remains to be seen if they can satisfy them. There should be many opportunities for you to make your concerns known to them in the near future.Doug Race
Councillor
