This week, Jumbo will be before the court in Glacier Resorts Ltd. vs. the BC Minister of the Environment.
Glacier Resorts, the company who dreamed up the now legendary large-scale resort proposal for the contested Jumbo Valley will be arguing before the BC Supreme Court that the decision made by former Environment Minister Mary Pollack was, simply put, not fair. In 2015, after Pollack determined that Glacier Resorts had failed to “substantially start” their 5,500-bed ski resort within the 10-year timeline given to them in the environmental assessment process, they were told to immediately stop all construction.
Glacier Resorts claims that more substantial construction was impossible based on a series of obstacles placed in their way, including bad judgement on the part of the Minister. The facts are simple: over ten years, all they managed to build were a couple of concrete pads, poured at the last minute as winter was closing in. That’s clearly not a substantial start to a huge ski resort.
For years we have been working with Ecojustice and the Jumbo Creek Conservation Society on this issue, and just last week we were granted intervenor status in the case.
What’s at stake?
In the simplest terms, if Glacier Resorts is successful in court their environmental certificate will be restored. If the BC Minister of the Environment is successful in defending its decision, the project cannot proceed as it was proposed and would have to either go through another environmental assessment process or propose a newer, smaller project for review. This court case has giant implications to our efforts to #KeepJumboWild!
The Decision
As with most court proceedings, it will likely be months before the court issues a decision.
Stay tuned and we’ll keep you updated as things unfold.
Header image: Caillum Smith