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Ghost
climber
A long way from where I started
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Jun 14, 2012 - 07:12pm PT
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And because children are the business's future clientele, each child who rides the gondola will be given a free copy of the famous Dr. Seuss book "Horton Hires a Ho."
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YesToCarrots
climber
Squamish, BC
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Jun 14, 2012 - 07:18pm PT
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You may have a nicer spot in mind a few klicks to the south but are you going to raise the difference in construction costs?
When did it become the public's responsibility to provide a safety net for a private investor's pipe dream? Oh wait, we have a nice precedent - we did have a bank bailout. The worst of capitalism blended with the worst of socialism :-)
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 07:22pm PT
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Now that's funny. (the Dr. Seuss bit)
I suppose G.F.'s brothel would take care of all those foul weather days up there. Bussiness would still boom even when the weather gets nasty.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 14, 2012 - 07:23pm PT
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"Privatized profits, socialized losses". Sound familiar?
And it's public land that's being talked about, and not just any public land - as a park it's impressed with something of a trust.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 07:23pm PT
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The chief summit brothel will be part of phase 2, since it was so easy to take a bit of land out of the park & set a precadent it should be no problem to build a second lift from the top terminal & approach the chief from the back. It will require less land removed than the first easement & will still render the useless TLC covenant well, useless. I have some small news, I actually received an email- not from the developers though.
Thank you for your email of March 30, 2012, regarding the Sea to Sky Gondola Corporation’s application to adjust the boundary of Stawamus Chief Park. As Assistant Deputy Minister responsible for BC Parks, I am pleased to have this opportunity to respond and apologize for the delay in doing so.
In February, the proponent submitted a Stage 2 boundary adjustment application, which has been reviewed by BC Parks. This application is for the purpose of constructing and operating a gondola through the park, consisting of a 20-metre right-of-way approximately 1.2 kilometres in length to accommodate the gondola alignment.
The application submitted by the proponent is consistent with BC Parks’ policy regarding park boundary adjustment applications, which can be found at the following website: www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/planning/bound_adj_policy.html. This includes an investigation of alternatives to avoid the protected area, clear rationale for the location proposed, documented socio-economic benefits to the province, consultation with First Nations, local communities and governments and potential impacts and mitigation measures.
Any adjustment to the boundary of Stawamus Chief Park requires an Act of the Legislature. The legislation to amend the boundary of the park received Royal Assent on May 31, 2012. Once the amendment modifying the boundary of Stawamus Chief Park is brought into force, it is proposed that the 2.36 hectares being removed from the park be established as a protected area under the Environment and Land Use Act and managed by BC Parks. If established as a protected area, BC Parks may authorise the proposed gondola under a Park Use Permit. The Park Use Permit application will follow BC Parks’ permitting process and will be subject to review under the BC Parks’ impact assessment process. More information on this process can be found at the following website: www.env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks/conserve/impact/impact.html. Through the impact assessment and permitting processes, BC Parks will work with the proponent to mitigate any impacts to parks and protected area values that will address many of the concerns you identified in your email.
Thank you again for writing and taking the time to express your concerns.
Sincerely,
Lori Halls
Assistant Deputy Minister
BC Parks and Conservation Officer Service Division
cc: Honourable Christy Clark, Premier
Wow, even the honorable Christy Clark was cc'ed. I may have to write back to find out what kind of investigation was researched to avoid the protected area as well as a question inquiring as to the clear rationale for the location proposed. I am also interested to know how this proposal is consistent with BC parks policy regarding boundary adjustments.
I wish I was climbing sun ribbon aręte today, actually I wish I could just take a gondola up there.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 14, 2012 - 07:40pm PT
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Ryan, everyone seems to have gotten the same response. Kind of pathetic, really - it's a long way from the facts. But maybe she's required to parrot the official position. The Ministry has long since had detailed notice (not just from FOSC - larger and more influential groups have the same concerns) that the process that has been used is far from what is required by the policy, and in any case quite deficient. Oh well, it ain't over yet. Their problem may now be extricating themselves from the morass.
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YesToCarrots
climber
Squamish, BC
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Jun 14, 2012 - 07:41pm PT
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documented socio-economic benefits to the province
This sounds like a contradiction in terms. If the benefits have no yet "happened," how can they be documented? In the good old days this used to be called a feasibility study. Has it been done, and has anyone seen it?
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 07:41pm PT
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One of the advantages of the gravel pit is the fact that there is ample power already to the site. Those other sites down the highway may be adjacent to the massive transmission lines but "plugging" into them isn't as easy as it may look.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 08:07pm PT
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I agree Hamish, sadly is that reason enough for justifying removal(yes that is the word she used when emailing me) of publicly owned land from a class A provincial park. I am afraid that power should be the private developers problem, not ours & IMO is not near reason enough to justify removing parkland. A brothel however would make me reconsider the viability of their business plan.
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 08:34pm PT
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I agree, power is the developer's hurdle. I'm just trying to shed a little light on the probable reasons they chose that site. You know, reasons other than it being deemed, or deeded, a godola base by The Land Conservancy.
Now, back to Greg's brothel and the naming of it. He was posting something about how much he could bench press a few hundred posts ago so perhaps G.F.Strong? No, that doesn't sound right. Back to the drawing board.
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YesToCarrots
climber
Squamish, BC
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Jun 14, 2012 - 08:36pm PT
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I am afraid that power should be the private developers problem, not ours
Ryan,
Have you noticed how it somehow became our responsibility to prove that a class A Park deserves to be left alone? This is bassackwards logic. But heaven forbid the developers be burdened by feasibility studies and other hurdles...
Brothel or not, the whole thing is already one big brothel. Public land got pimped out to the highest bidder.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 08:39pm PT
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Maybe- the "G" spot
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 08:40pm PT
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Yestocarrots I couldn't agree more!
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 09:39pm PT
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And the pimp's name is The Land Conservancy. Just in case Carrots hasn't been reading our dribble over the last couple of months. Don't forget they profitted a cool million when they, in Feb. of this year, declared the gravel pit fit for gondola use (via a covenant) and sold the land to a (gondola) developer.
Smooth move.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 14, 2012 - 10:01pm PT
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Yes, let's give carrots a carrot. 1,620 posts, and carrots nails it.
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 10:38pm PT
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Now we're hearing some truth.
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Mighty Hiker
climber
Vancouver, B.C.
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Jun 14, 2012 - 10:42pm PT
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We may never know exactly what happened with TLC and the gravel pit. I know that the transaction wasn't as simple as "they sold it for $1 million profit" - there was some horse trading, which may in some way have involved the upper Malamute. All murky.
They may gotten us into this mess, but ultimately it's a side issue now. The real issues being things like the government being held to an open, accountable process, where the proposal can be transparently scrutinized, and all those concerned can comment.
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RyanD
climber
Squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 10:48pm PT
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g spot brothels inc. brings a very good point, the TLC have been strangely off the grid since their initial OMG statement, who knows what the actual subjects & details of the transaction that took place between them & the developers were. Maybe the TLC are the ones who have to bite their tongues, if not it may cost them. Would love to hear their current position & take on all of this.
Edit- Anders is right however, that this is just a detail of something that has already been flushed, so to speak.
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hamish f
Social climber
squamish
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Jun 14, 2012 - 10:49pm PT
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Wow Anders. I don't think you should treat the TLC botch like a sideshow. That's really where the beef lies. Maybe they thought they were doing all the climbers a huge solid by spending the money on the Malemute? Maybe they thought this, maybe they thought that, who knows. Perhaps it's time for you to rekindle your relationship with them and ask them whatever happened to the plan you folks cooked up several years ago.
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YesToCarrots
climber
Squamish, BC
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Jun 14, 2012 - 11:11pm PT
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I don't want to be mean and unfair and to heap blame on just one player. Yes, I did miss out on that part of the discussion so I went and read up on the background. Did Parks BC absolutely have to sell that stupid gravel pit in the first place? Maybe, because they are always strapped for funds - which is not their fault but the government's - and the buyer was by all accounts reputable and committed to protecting parks. TLC bought the gravel pit to prevent a gondola up the Chief in the first place, and they succeeded at the time, so I'm hesitant to put the blame entirely on them until I know more. But TLC is a non-profit organization, or so they say. I'm interested in this information, if any of you have it: how much did TLC pay for the land when they bought it from Parks BC? If they are truly non-profit, why were they forced to sell the pit - what was the urgency? Their official explanation is that they had no response to their proposal for a "low-profile green development" from the District of Squamish. What was the proposal? Maybe the District should share at least some of the blame for not taking them up on their offer, for showing apathy.
Anyway, you've got me reading up on this backstory when I should be working :-)
Edit - you brought up some of these points while I was typing the above. Still interested to know the exact numbers.
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