Community members quite literally put their money where their mouths are in opposition to the proposed all-season resort Garibaldi at Squamish (GAS) last week. In conjunction with the end of the project's environmental assessment public comment period, a fundraiser in support of the opposition group Save Garibaldi raised $4,047.50 on Saturday night (April 5)."People were out in droves," said group member Jessica Reid. "I was impressed."She admitted she initially wondered whether people were willing to hand over $12 at the door to get into the event. In addition to ticket sales, money was also raised through a 50/50 draw, silent auction and 10 per cent of liquor sales donated by the Ocean Port Bar where the night was held.It was the group's last push for community involvement before the Environmental Assessment Office (EAO) closed the period for public comment on April 4. While many people had already submitted comments when the period was open in 2007, about 70 more comments came in when the period was reopened in late February. GAS proponent Mike Esler said he's seen much stronger support for the project in this round of comments. "We feel we've been successful in reaching out to what I hope is the silent majority to vocalize their support, and they've been doing it," he said. One letter of support came from Shan Trouton, president of the Squamish's Landholders' Association, who said the project would "crazily benefit the community."It appears well-thought-out and sustainable," he adds. "Squamish needs to the jobs and tourism revenue."Many of the letters also showed strong opposition to the project, such as one by Whistler resident Sara Jennings which states, "this project is just screaming out to be stopped."Reid said she was especially buoyed by a letter from West Coast Environmental Law's Andrew Gage. Within the letter, Gage slams the EAO for resuming the assessment process without complete data on water resources."My initial review suggests that a 'move forward' approach is not appropriate in that it undermines the purpose of the environmental assessmentand that it deprives the public of any meaningful opportunity to comment on the impacts of the project on water resources," he wrote. Gage suggested the EAO process is suspended until more information is available.It was welcome support for Save Garibaldi, with Reid saying the letter would add to Save Garibaldi's credibility.Esler, however, was not swayed."What we've been finding during this comment period is people have been getting upset by these - I wouldn't call them environmentalists, they're activists. Quite frankly, they don't have a rule book. We're encumbered by the facts, they aren't. "In The Province newspaper Wednesday to suggest that the two lakes, Brohm and Cat, are going to be water hazards for our golf courses is ridiculous -I could use a stronger word but I won't - it's ridiculous. The fairways are nowhere near these lakes. It's inflammatory visualization and that's what they've been doing."The most recent leg of the comment period saw neither the Squamish Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) nor the District of Squamish submit a comment, however both did send in submissions outlining concerns last fall.Reid said she hoped their recent silence was not a vouch of support for GAS."Are they getting pressure from the provincial government to basically let that process proceed?" she asked.Mayor Ian Sutherland said the district chose not to submit a second comment since the first one was still relevant. "We have one comment on the record and that's still our public position right now," he said. "We will have an opportunity as this project moves forward to have input on this."Input has already been streaming in to local governments. Sutherland said the district has been receiving "quite a few emails" about the project from residents.He noted the letters are part of a letter-writing campaign, adding, "That's useful but we also understand that people can send off an email pretty easily."Save Garibaldi organizer Inis LeBlanc said Save Garibaldi is currently regrouping and deciding what is next for the campaign. Meanwhile, GAS is anticipating a decision in mid-June on the environmental assessment from both the environment minister and the minister of tourism, sports and arts. Concurrently, the proponent is also revving up its masterplanning applications. "That process will entail further public open houses in Squamish, perhaps Vancouver - probably not until the fall," said Esler.Proponents are also working on applications for rezoning and Official Community Plan amendments that both the district and the SLRD will decide upon."There's ample due process for the people of Squamish, the District of Squamish, to have further say," said Esler. "This whole EA was just one process."Residents can also anticipate a growing GAS presence in town within the next few months, he said. "We're going to be even more active, we're going to be opening up an office."
