Jumbo decision sent to province

Sally Waddington
Columbia Valley Pioneer
August 14, 2009

Jumbo Glacier Resort will be deemed a mountain resort municipality if the Regional District of East Kootenay has its way.

On Friday, August 7th, eight of the 15 directors of the regional district voted to advise the provincial government that it prefers a new municipality be established to host thye proposed $450-million all-season ski resort.

Seven directors were opposed to the motion. The vote was so close that Chair Norm Walter asked for a second show of hands to confirm the result.

Four of the five Columbia Valley directors voted against the motion. Only Radium Mayor Dee Conklin was in favour of designating Jumbo Glacier Resort a mountain resort municipality.

Area G Director Gerry Wilkie implored the other directors to consider the Columbia Valley residents.

"The people of the Columbia Valley have put years and years of effort into this issues," he said. "In fairness, we should own up to our responsibility of making land-use decisions. We should deal with this resort if, and only if, they make an application."

In opposing the motion, Director Wilkie was joined by Area F Director Wendy Booth; Canal Flats Councillor Michael McDonald, standing in for Ute Juras; and Invermere Mayor Gerry Taft. They were backed up by board chair and Area E Director Norm Walter, Fernie Mayor Cindy Corrigan and Area B Director Heath Slee.

On the other side of the fence with Mayor Conklin was sparwood Mayor David Wilks, who tabled the motion; Elkford Mayor Dean McKerracher, Cranbrook Mayor Scott Manjak and Cranbrook Councillor Liz Schatschneider, Kimberley Mayor Jim Ogilvie, Area A Director Mike Sosnowski, and Area C Director Rob Gay.

The directors who voted for Jumbo to become its own municipality did not want regional district staff to be caught up in administration for rezoning and an official community plan for Jumbo Glacier Resort - should the province finally grant the developer a Master Development Agreement.

"I have quite a few projects in the Elk Valley that are on the regional district's priority list for 2010 and 2011," said Director Sosnowski.

"If the Jumbo rezoning is considered here, those projects could be shoved way down the list. I was elected by the constituents of my area to look after their best interests. Hving those projects slowed down is not in their best interests."

The decision about Jumbo Glacier Resort was the first item on the agenda, and it took two hours of delegations and discussion among the directors before the decision was reached.

Outside the board room, chairs had been set up to provide seating for more than 100 people, who listened to the discussion over a speaker system.

Inside the room, 17 speakers lobbied the board, both supporting and opposing the development. Columbia River-Revelstoke MLA Norm McDonald and members of Jumbo Creek Conservation Society and Wildsight implored the board to consider due democratic process and retain the zoning decisions for Jumbo Glacier Resort.

"This is your job," said Norm McDonald. "You were elected to come here and make land-use decisions. Passing this motion would be a betrayal of the people who put you here."

John Bergenske, executive director of Wildsight, pointed the finger at Jumbo Glacier Resort for bringing the topic to the board table.

"It is clear that the project proponent seeks to deny the public consultation period in the most critical stage of the process," he said.

Fernie Mayor Cindy Corrigan told the anti-Jumbo spokespeople that it is time to come up with a different strategy.

"It needs to come out that those opposed to Jumbo Glacier Resort have to move past their opposition. I do believe that the resort will move forward, one way or another.

"It makes more sense for Columbia Valley residents to be part of the process that make the development the best that it can be."

She voted against the motion to defer to the province for that reason.

"If we keep the decision at this table, then we have the ability to take the processes that have already been completed and ensure the development looks after the concerns of Columbia Valley residents."

Kathryn Teneese spoke to the board as the chair of the Ktunaxa Nation Council.

She pointed out that the regional district's decision is premature since the Master Development Agreement has not yet been signed because no accommodation agreement between the province and the Ktunaxa has been reached.

"If this motion is passed, it will negatively impact on negotiations between the Ktunaxa Nation Council and the province," she said.

Former board chair and Radium Mayor Greg Deck spoke to the board in favour of the motion.

"This project was well conceived from the start, it is better for all the review and it deserves to move forward. They have earned the right to move forward without further delay," Mr. Deck said.

Oberto Oberti of Vancouver, president of Glacier Resorts Limited, made a rare appearance to direct an appeal to the board of directors.

"Your vote must certainly be democratic, but I am asking that it be just, also. You must ensure that justice prevails at the end of the day. Justice is the most important aspect of the democratic process," Mr. Oberti said.

After the board voted, Chair Walter called a recess and the stunned attendees moved outside for a break.

Later, the board meeting continued with other matters. At the very end of the meeting, Mayor Gerry Taft expressed his concern over the as-yet-untested mountain resort municipality designation.

Under the designation, the province will appoint a three-person council to govern Jumbo Glacier Resort.

Mayor Taft will make a motion at the September 4th board meeting that the province be asked not to allow someone from that council to sit on the regional district board.

"There is the potential to have an appointed councillor sit on this board with an equal vote, although they were in no way elected," he told The Pioneer. "That doesn't make a lot of sense."

Mayor Taft also pointed out that creating another municipality in the Columbia Valley is counter to discussions of a regional government for Area F and Invermere.

"We are trying to look at a model that limits instead of increases the number of small councils or villages in the Columbia Valley," he said.