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cayoosh

Al Raine is more optimistic about his proposed Cayoosh resort than he has been in years, but he’s keeping his fingers crossed the goal posts don’t move again.

Al Raine is more optimistic about his proposed Cayoosh resort than he has been in years, but he’s keeping his fingers crossed the goal posts don’t move again. "I’m working to complete a project report, an addendum, I should submit in late April," Raine said this week. The addendum will update some of the information Raine has already presented to the provincial government and address some issues the province felt were overlooked. "If the goal posts don’t move, we can address the issues," Raine said. Following Raine’s submission in April the province, through its Environmental Assessment process, will do a six-month review, during which time public comments will be solicited. As Raine understands the process, he may be asked to conduct another series of public meetings during that time. At the end of six months, ministry officials conducting the review can recommend a decision to Environment Minister Cathy McGregor. "I hope by September or October we can get a recommendation," Raine said. Raine has spent nearly seven years working on the Cayoosh proposal. He submitted his initial application in August, 1991. In February, 1992 his application was selected but it took more than three years before an interim agreement could be reached with the province. The Cayoosh proposal formally entered the Environmental Assessment process in December, 1996. A couple of times Raine has come close to giving up on his dream because of frustration with a bureaucratic process he says only seems to find reasons to oppose a project. Raine’s concept for Cayoosh is a destination, four-season resort with a strong emphasis on the environment. As there is no electricity into the area, he envisions propane or hydrogen as the power source for the upper and lower villages, the residential area and the 12 lifts that would make up the project at buildout. The village, at buildout, would be 16,000 beds and 20 per cent of all beds would be for employees, spread around the upper and lower villages. The resort would be built in at least four phases over 10 years and the developed land would be about the size of the Blackcomb Benchlands when finished.