“This is great news!” said Wilderness Committee National Campaign Director Joe Foy. “We knew this project was already on thin ice. The BC government must now take steps to ensure that the Jumbo Pass area is granted protected area status, so this ill-conceived resort proposal never comes back again to endanger the region’s grizzly bears and other wildlife.”

First proposed in 1991, the ski resort would aim to attract up to 3,000 visitors a day, and was proposed right in the middle of a critical grizzly travel corridor.

The project attracted the ire of local politicians, environmental groups and conservation organizations across the province. People in nearby Kootenay communities have consistently voted against the ski resort proposal, mostly because of the impacts on local wildlife – especially grizzly bears. First Nations are also opposed and have fought the project in the courts.

The BC government had sought to counter this local opposition by designating Jumbo Pass as its own separate municipality. This included appointing a mayor and several councillors, despite the fact that no one actually lives there – except the wildlife. As could be expected, this anti-democratic move by the provincial government generated a lot of anger throughout Kootenay country.

Now the proponents, Glacier Resorts Ltd., have run out of time. The environmental assessment certificate issued by the BC government has expired, with little progress having been made to actually build the resort.

“The final chapter in this long story should be the designation of the Jumbo Pass protected area, in collaboration with the First Nations of the territory – that’s what is needed now,” said Foy.

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For more information, please contact:

Joe Foy | National Campaign Director, Wilderness Committee – (604) 880-2580

Additional resources:

BC Government press release on Jumbo Glacier environmental assessment certificate
http://www.newsroom.gov.bc.ca/2015/06/jumbo-glacier-resort-project-not-substantially-started.html