
Garibaldi at Squamish — a ski resort proposed on Mount Garibaldi near Squamish — plans to drill test wells this year to explore a water source on Brohm Ridge.
The goal is to develop without drawing on the Paradise Valley water system for the first two phases of development, according to the company’s project director Sabina FooFat.
She said the company had commissioned a cutting-edge geotech survey to identify the optimal place to drill a test well.
“When the snow is off the mountain (late spring) we will drill a test well in the Phase 1 area of the project to test for water quality and quantity. Our goal is to see if we can develop Phase 1 and possibly Phase 2 of the project without the Paradise Valley water system,” she said.
Garibaldi at Squamish is also working on changing the name of the project, a process that will be complete in Spring 2020.
FooFat said the Squamish Nation was an owner and a partner in this project, and it was important to find a name that showed the resort is within Squamish Nation traditional territory.
“We are working with the Squamish Nation Language and Cultural Affairs department, through their naming process to find a new project name. We have also consulted with Squamish Nation elders, and this will inform the renaming process,” she said.
This year, the proposed ski resort on Brohm Ridge will also be writing an application to extend the Environment Assessment certificate to 2026.
“This will allow further discussions with the District of Squamish on Local Governance, as they have deferred any decision on governance indefinitely,” Garibaldi at Squamish said in an update.
Garibaldi at Squamish is currently working on the 40 conditions of the Environmental Assessment Certificate they were granted in 2016.
Some key conditions include limiting the rate of groundwater withdrawal from the Paradise Valley aquifer, and studying the potential adverse effects of groundwater pumping on the side channels of the Cheakamus River.
The proponents are currently gathering data to work on three conditions: the Aquatic Effects Management Plan, the Brohm River Management Plan, and the Biodiversity Retention and Ecosystem Management Plan.
Reducing its footprint by half, excluding Cat and Brohm Lake from resort boundaries, removing golf courses from the plan, and moving the village to higher elevation are some of the improvements it says it has made over its previous plans.
“Our team is updating the plan to place a larger emphasis on two pillars of our all-season resort: indigenous tourism and mountain biking. We are working with Squamish Nation to make sure our resort is a unique venue for indigenous tourism,” the company said.
Garibaldi at Squamish hopes to start construction in 2023 and to be open in 2025.