Petition seeks public meeting on Sea to Sky Gondola proposal for Stawamus Chief Provincial Park

Changes to a Provincial Park should involve a wider spectrum of input, not just business owners in Squamish. Many of the letters opposing this project come from people outside of Squamish because they see the Park as a valuable protected area, an international icon and a draw for visitors from around the world as it already is today. I think a broader perspective on this proposal would be very valuable. We can see public opinion in Squamish is shifting as well. Maybe if we had all the information about this project back in September, such as the removal of land from the Park and the covenant that was meant to stop such a development, the hearings would have had a different turn out. This proposal will change the park forever and will set the tone for tourism development for years to come. I think a provincial hearing and a little more time to decide if 30 minimum wage seasonal jobs is really worth the impacts to the Park is not too much to ask. If the gondola gets built, we can never go back to what we had.

C2S,
Your comments, in addition to being rude and disrepectful to a Squamish resident who is concerned about a significant commercial development proposal in a Park that protects our most significant icon, the Stawamus Chief,, are incorrect.
To address your points:
Seasonal-the principal proponents stated that the Gondola will initially be seasonal, year round operation will depend on sales volume. In my opinion it will be quite unlikely a sightseeing gondola will operate in the shoulder seasons in one of Canada's rainiest towns, who will pay $30.00 to go up into the rain and clouds for a view?
Business Owner Support-their is a base of support anchored amongst local business who believe they will benefit economical from the Gondola. Makes sense doesn't it? What doesn't make sense is how the downtown business association thinks they will see an increase of tourist dollars once another highway side attraction is built that compete's for tourists time and money. And you really think Squamish locals are going to spend $30.oo to ride up to a viewspot? How many times in their life?
Not in Parks-This is an important point that you are completely wrong on. While the proposed Gondola's base and top is immediately outside the park boundary, the proposed Gondola tramline and 7 support towers are proposed inside the Class A Stawamus Chief Pronvincial Park. Look at the map on the proponents website, it bisects the park for over 2kms and require the logging of 70 mature trees in a underrepresented protected geobioclimatic zone. Because this is absolutely not allowed in a BC Provincial Park, the proponents are maneuvering to have a section of the Park removed so they can develop it ! This action threatens the strength of our Park system, and such political decsions should not happen behind close doors with public input and record.
SLRD Hearing-Please understand the SLRD hearing was for zoning issues related to crown land outside of the Park held by the SSLRD. The real issue to address is removal of Parkland and how the Gondola would effect the Stawamus Park. Only Parks can hold these meetings and make these decisions. Currently Parks is not following its own guidelines to ensure adequate public consultation. Public pressure is buidling on Parks to do so. If/when they do hold these consultations there will be a relevant public forum for concerned citizens such as yourself to express your opinions directly to Parks. Look forward to seeing you there.

Dear Mr. or Mrs. C2S all my life, why don't you use your real name when posting? I use mine to ensure complete transparency in any comments I make and I welcome anyone to challenge me and direct me to reliable information if my statements are incorrect. Do you have specific sources to refute the information I have been providing? If so, I would welcome you to direct me to those sources.

The statements I make come from what I hope you will agree are reilable sources - the proponents own website and development applications, public statements made by The Land Conservancy and the BC Parks website. If you have not already, I would suggest you peruse these websites yourself to better understand the proposal for the gondola. Specific to the statements I made which you are challenging, the proponents themselves have stated the gondola will operate seasonally (summer time during peak park visits) until the market can justify the profitability of operating year round. The proponents have also made it clear in their applications to BC Parks and relevant Ministries and on their website, seven of the gondola towers must be built through what is now known as Stawamus Chief Provincial Park. My reference to minimum wage jobs also comes from the proponents stage 2 proposal to BC Parks which breaks down the jobs predicted to be produced of which the majority are ticket sales and food and retail sales, traditionally minimum wage jobs. The reference to business support for the project comes from my attendance at the SLRD hearing where a strong majority of people supporting the project specifically identified themselves as part of the Squamish business community.

I welcome respectful debate and open conversation around this proposal and I believe regardless of the view you take, most of us sincerely believe our opinion supports the best interest of our communities and the public. I would hope however all parties offering comment will clearly identify who they are when engaging in conversation and avoid name calling as a means to make a point.
Many thanks for your input,

With all due respect to “C2S all my life”, the proposed gondola deserves wide spread discussion, all radical direction changes do. The proposed gondola will compete with existing facilities in Whistler and Vancouver – maybe successfully, more likely not. Quest U, too, was a radical departure for Squamish, AND the Sea2Sky corridor, BC and Canada. Quest U makes Squamish a leader in education, a major growth sector, with excellent long term economic growth prospects. The shaky gondola is a high risk venture in a saturated market, not a good bet.
Meg Fellowes
Squamish

I join the chorus of MANY Squamish residents who oppose the gondola. What is maddening is how some of my neighbours think this is a "local" issue. It isn't. We are talking about a provincial park, people! ALL BC residents have a say in this issue. The gondola will mar a great provincial treasure and a handful of folks - who often bully gondola critics - should not determine how a provincial park is managed. Theresa, you are giving voice to many who have, to date, been afraid to speak up. Thanks!

I want to talk to some points raised in this thread since my last post. Firstly,

I am surprised to see the depth of disrespect forming in what has largely been a healthy debate. Also, the fact is that people stretch and distort the truth in online discussions, so let’s all take it with a grain of salt.

First up I am a big supporter of the project for lots of reasons but mainly because I think this is a huge win for the whole community of Squamish, including the downtown.

As a Squamish local and SAR volunteer, I have been dismayed to read on various forums (including this one), that hiking the Stawamus Chief is easy. This is really infuriating for the very obvious reason, that for the vast majority of people it is not an easy hike. Why do you think we as a SAR group have placed very large signs at the bottom informing people of the demands and encouraging them to assess themselves before they start out? Given that the Chief is where the vast majority of SAR responses occur in Squamish, most of the time on the descent, I feel strongly that we would have fewer accidents if there was an alternative.

Calling this a "wretched project" IMO seems very dramatic. After all we’re not talking about a Pipeline or an IPP. At the end of the day this is about providing enjoyment through outdoor experiences in the form of views, trails, climbing, biking and learning about local flora, fauna and Squamish. What is so wretched about that?

I want to talk about the current state of the two Parks in question. The fact is that 5 million cars passed thru Squamish each year. Of that over 400,000 people visited either Shannon Falls or The Stawamus Chief Park last year. BC Parks figures. Apart from speaking strongly to the financial viability of the project, it underlines that the current area and infrastructure is over run. Facilities were simply not designed for these kinds of numbers. Parking can be a nightmare as can the bathrooms. IMO Parks Staff do an amazing job under difficult circumstances and considering what they have to deal with, dogs, vandals and so on. Another reality is that the backside Chief trail is now wider than ever before. Numbers climbing the Chief are growing each year as more and more people come to Squamish. More than 2,000 people on a fine July day last year, again according to BC Parks! While it is great that people are choosing to come to Squamish to recreate this kind of overcrowding is unsustainable. Case and point was the fight that broke out on the chain access to the second peak last summer.

So when I read people saying that this kind of development will compromise the wilderness values of the park or that it will over run it with tourists, I say bollocks! This is already the situation. We can bury our heads in the sand and pretend like it’s not happening or we can do something about spreading out the crowds. I believe that the proposed Sea to Sky Gondola will do just that.