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Council hears concerns and kudos for First Nations centre

Squamish Chief Bill Williams appealed to Whistler council on Tuesday night to support the development of a First Nations cultural centre in the heart of Whistler Village.

Squamish Chief Bill Williams appealed to Whistler council on Tuesday night to support the development of a First Nations cultural centre in the heart of Whistler Village.

"What we are going to provide is the culture of Canada," he said, of the centre intended to showcase Canadian First Nations cultures.

Williams asked how many people have the chance to visit a cultural centre on the Northwest coast or taste traditional First Nations food.

Whistler’s centre will allow people to experience "a little of who we are and where we come from," he said.

The $13 million building, which will take on the form of a traditional Coast-Salish "Big House," will be built on the land opposite the Fairmont Chateau Whistler at the corner of Blackcomb Way and Lorimer Road.

Council heard from a handful of citizens this week after reconvening a public hearing that opened at the previous council meeting.

The two-week extension was granted to accommodate condo owners along Blackcomb Way, whose property is opposite the five acre forested land slated for the development.

While council received about 10 letters from residents since the last council meeting, only one came forward to speak at the public hearing.

"We’re very much in favour of the development of this cultural centre although like everyone else, we’d like it somewhere else," said Paul Tutsch, chairman of The Gables strata council.

Although supportive of the concept, Tutsch outlined his concerns to council. Some of these concerns were also reflected in the letters to council.

Tutsch’s first point dealt with the amount of traffic the centre would generate along Blackcomb Way. He asked if the traffic could be redirected to a Lorimer Road entry and exit point.

"We believe that there’s sufficient traffic already on Blackcomb Way," he said, adding that he was speaking on behalf of The Gable strata council.

He was also worried about losing the old pine trees in the area where he loves to walk.

"We’d like the make sure that not a single tree more than necessary is cut down," he said.

As a final point Tutsch also expressed concern about the future of the site if the First Nations cultural centre is not a success.

"We’d like some assurance or protection... that this will always be a cultural centre," he said.

Bob MacPherson, the interim general manager of planning and development services at the municipality, addressed some of those concerns.

He said that the project as it currently stands calls for one way traffic from Lorimer Road onto Blackcomb Way. This traffic flow could be revised.

Also, the municipality is establishing a tree preservation covenant on the land to protect the 300-year-old pines. This covenant will establish a zone where trees cannot be removed. MacPherson also put to rest the notion that this five-acre parcel of land was designated parkland.

At the initial portion of the public hearing two weeks ago council heard that some Blackcomb Way residents bought their units on the assumption that this was parkland and would stay that way.

"It is parkland for us," said Carroll Nelson, strata chair of the Chamois at the first part of the public hearing.

"A lot of owners purchased their units with the knowledge that was going to stay that way."

Council heard on Tuesday that the five-acre parcel has never had park status in the history of the municipality.

"There seems to be a bit of an urban myth out there that it is designated park," said MacPherson.

Longtime local and former alderman Garry Watson, who joked he was the "self-appointed historian in these matters," echoed MacPherson’s point that the land never held park status.

Watson said the lands’ status was created in 1979 and its permitted uses at that time were for a school, educational and cultural facilities, among other things.

"That was negotiated with the provincial government," he said, adding that is hasn’t changed since them.

Watson said that anyone who bought their condo on Blackcomb Way under the assumption that the land on the opposite side of the street was to remain parkland should sue their lawyer or real estate agent for misleading them.

The First Nations cultural centre has been planned for Whistler for the last few years.

Seen as a prime site for the centre, Whistler is in the traditional territory of both the Squamish and Lil’wat Nations and the resort’s success sets the centre up for success too.

"The research confirms that there is a market demand for this project," said Tourism Whistler President Suzanne Denbak.

She said there is a demand for aboriginal tourism experiences, particularly if they are offered with other eco-tourism based products.

The main portion of the centre will be the "Big House" with its high-tech theatre and restaurant. But there will also be anthropologically correct replications of traditional First Nations buildings. These pavilions will be nestled within the existing forest.

Denbak said that in her view the project would enhance Whistler’s global position on the tourism stage. That is more important than ever right now after a hard winter for Whistler businesses, with indications showing it may be a difficult summer ahead.

"Our success is being tested in ways that it hasn’t been tested in the last decade," she said.

Business development manager for the Mount Currie band council Lyle Leo said the centre highlights how far relationships with the municipality and their First Nations neighbours have come in less than a decade.

He called pre-1995 "the dark ages when we didn’t talk."

Crediting Mayor Hugh O’Reilly for opening up that dialogue, Leo said it’s becoming a true partnership where the communities can "share the wealth of what life has to offer us today."

Council held off moving the project to the next step on Tuesday night while they considered the concerns and support expressed at the public hearing.