Heli skiing in a wilderness park?

Heli skiing in a wilderness park? The BC Provincial government is considering it. Or perhaps they’re not considering it. Right now, they don’t know if they’re considering it or not.

Speculation that the government is negotiating with a heli-ski operation to have them exchange their existing heli-ski tenure in the Purcells for a tenure in the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park is receiving ridicule and derision from the public and local environmental groups.

“I'll take the question on notice,” said Stan Hagen, Minister of Tourism, Sports and the Arts. He was responding to an inquiry from Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Norm Macdonald seeking whether the Government might be negotiating an exchange of heli-skiing tenure that would make way for the development of the Jumbo Glacier Resort.

The proposed resort site is Jumbo Valley, 55 kilometers west of Invermere, BC. Public opposition to the resort has been never been stronger, with a recent poll showing 79% of area residents against the project. The BC Government’s lack of clarity as to their position on the matter, as well as their possible consideration of repurposing a wilderness park has exasperated many who have long endeavoured to retain area’s natural integrity.

"The controversy around the proposed Jumbo City development in the heart of the Purcells has gone on too long. British Columbia, the "Best Place on Earth" and the home of the "Greenest Olympics Ever" already looks ridiculous for allowing this unsustainable proposal to drag on,” says Dave Quinn, Wildsight’s Purcells Program Manager. “Now we are led to believe the Province is actually considering opening up one of our Class ‘A’ Provincial Parks to industrial tourism, just to expedite a controversial, crown land real estate grab? The proposed Jumbo Resort has seen unprecedented public opposition but the government has not heard anything compared to what they will hear if they try to erode the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy.”

The Purcell Wilderness Conservancy was established in 1974 and the Master Plan was completed with extensive public input and has been in place since 1990.

The Master Plan indicates that ‘All forms of commercial activity as well as the use of combustion engines for recreational purposes shall be prohibited’ (page 8), as well as ‘The Conservancy will remain closed to recreational air access as prescribed by the establishing Order-in-Council.’ (page 24)

While the government considers its official position as to whether they should contravene the master plan for the Conservancy and ignore the wishes of the area’s residents, the region’s representative promised the issue will be aggressively challenged.

“If the government thinks that they can make any changes to the Purcell Wilderness Conservancy Park, then they will have a fight on their hands,” declared Macdonald.

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For more information:

Dave Quinn
Mobile telephone 250 427 8878
daveq@wildsight.ca