EDITOR,
Thanks for the tongue-in-cheek caution in your Squamish Chief Editorial of April 25 ("Not so fast, GAS") about our stepping on the GAS too quickly in reference to our hope that, with the water source for the proposed Garibaldi at Squamish all-season mountain resort development identified and proven, we can now get moving on the remaining public approvals processes in a more businesslike fashion with both the Province and the District. Frankly, if we were going any slower, we'd be going backwards.
In reference to your comments regarding a past council's wisdom to question both the " size of the development and whether it could successfully deliver the promised economic benefits over the long haul," it would seem there is an oxymoron lurking in that statement. Size (or number of "bed units") allocated by the Commercial Alpine Skiing Policy (CASP) via the Province's Master Development Agreement (MDA) is dictated by a formula related to the mountain resort's potential "skier capacity."
Beyond the spectacular views and vistas, if the scale of our "ski" resort proves to be "big enough," then it will not only provide us with sufficient revenue streams to be economically viable, but have the potential of contributing to the competitiveness of the international outdoor recreation, wilderness travel and adventure tourism destination market of the Sea to Sky Corridor.
Finally, since economic viability should be a primary issue for all concerned, including the local lawmakers and the public, you'd think that someone at the district might be motivated to finally release an economic impact assessment the district commissioned on our dime and which a previous district planner mysteriously shelved.
In order to clarify more specifically what the next steps and timelines are likely to be for our proposed resort development if we are able to we get our foot off the brakes and begin stepping on the GAS, we hope that all those interested, supportive or just curious will join us at our next public meeting in the near future. Out of respect for the more traditional industries of Squamish (i.e., old industry meets new) this meeting will be held May 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the West Coast Railway Museum/Heritage Park.
Wolfgang Richter
Whistler
