Say land exchange between Whistler-Blackcomb and Garibaldi Park didn’t follow due process
A plan to swap Whistler-Blackcomb land for land in Garibaldi Park took local environmentalists and park watchers by surprise last week. They believe the province should have consulted the public and submitted studies to determine what the effects of the swap might be before the expansion is approved.
"I don’t think it should happen without meaningful public comment, a chance for the public to pore over the map, for example, while there is still time to change things," says Bob Brett, a member of the Whistler Naturalists, Sea to Sky Parkwatch, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) and the municipal Forests and Wildlands Advisory Committee. None of these organizations was told about the possible expansion to the ski area until a decision was already being weighed by government.
"There was no consultation. There are no studies on how this might affect the park, the flora and fauna – how it might look," Brett says.
Last week Whistler-Blackcomb and B.C. Parks announced the land swap, in which Intrawest would gain 87 hectares in the Flute peak basin in exchange for 113 acres of land in the Fitzsimmons area.
Whistler-Blackcomb plans to eventually put two ski lifts up to the peak and develop ski runs in the Flute basin. Most of the area already falls within the mountain’s land tenure following a 1987 agreement.
If the land swap is approved – and the plan was introduced in the B.C. Legislature last week; the legislature adjourned for the summer on May 30 – Whistler-Blackcomb would be able to start developing the area in the spring of 2003.
B.C. Parks would gain the entire Singing Pass trail, including a 1.3 kilometre section that’s currently within Whistler-Blackcomb’s boundaries, plus some high elevation old-growth forest. Tom Bell, a planning officer with B.C. Parks called the exchange a "win-win" deal.
In addition to the lack of public consultation, Brett and other members of Sea to Sky Parkwatch and the Forests and Wildlands Advisory Committee are concerned that more than a few hectares of land is at stake in the deal.
"Before Harmony Chair went in, almost nobody went as far as the musical bumps. Now we’re adding easy access to Singing Pass, and will be using the ski area right to the edge of Whistler-Blackcomb’s boundary. It effectively shrinks the total area of the park, because it essentially takes away that buffer zone," says Brett. "Personally I’d rather see the buffer zone for the park outside of the park boundaries, rather than inside the park."
Brett is also concerned that no studies have been done to determine what effect the lifts might have on the sensitive alpine meadow in the area, and on species such as marmots, which are already believed to be in decline on Whistler Mountain.
"They could bring more commercial recreation into singing pass, increasing human encroachment into the park. It’s going to have an effect. It seems that if a trade was inevitable, then (Whistler-Blackcomb) should have given more back. A lot more."
Al Whitney, another member of Sea to Sky Parkwatch and the Forests and Wildlands Committee, is concerned that the government and Whistler-Blackcomb have gone as far as they have without informing groups like Parkwatch.
"I don’t really see this as for or against the project," Whitney said. "What I think many of us were surprised by is that suddenly there was this announcement that there’s going to be a park trade. We’ve worked for decades to make sure that groups like Parkwatch and the public are at least consulted when decisions are made."
Although public consultation is not a legislative requirement, Whitney says it never needed to be because in the past the government would always release the information as part of their working relationship with stakeholders.
"I understand what’s going on," Whitney say. "Their budget has been cut badly at B.C. Parks, they’re understaffed, they’re overworked. They don’t have the resources for this kind of thing.
"The system we had wasn’t legislated but the relationship in the past has always been one of trust. The system has failed us here, so maybe we need some changes to the legislation to ensure that the public has a voice."
This is not the first time that the boundaries of the skis hills have changed. In 1989, Blackcomb’s boundaries expanded to include the Blackcomb Glacier area.
"This is entirely different than the decision to expand into the Blackcomb Glacier," says Whitney. "That’s rock and ice, and there’s a substantial boundary there. Flute, Piccolo, the Musical Bumps, this is not glacier it’s alpine meadow, it’s habitat."
An avid skier, Whitney says he will probably ski in the area once it’s opened – but would feel a lot better about it if he could be reassured that the expansion went through a full environmental assessment.
"I’d like to see the study by the marmot expert that says this won’t affect them at all, and for (black bear researcher) Michael Allen to say this isn’t going to affect the bears. There are members of the public who live in the valley who would like to be consulted in the process. There should be an open forum and experts… But none of that has been taken into consideration as far as I can tell," says Brett.
Eckhard Zeidler, another member of Sea to Sky Parkwatch and a director of AWARE, believes there is still time for public consultation, if not by the government then by Whistler-Blackcomb.
"I’m confident that Whistler-Blackcomb recognizes it is in their best interest to engage stakeholders such as the Sea to Sky Parkwatch group before submitting any proposal for changes, to ensure that any new boundaries serve no only their operations but also the needs of local and visiting park users."
Doug Forseth, the senior vice-president of operations for Whistler-Blackcomb, said they followed the rules when they made the application to the government, and now it is in the government’s hands to process.
Flute peak is located between Piccolo and Oboe to the east of Harmony chair. The area is currently used by backcountry skiers during the winter and hikers during the summer months.
