2014: The Final Chapter

2013 was another rollercoaster year for Jumbo Wild. But at the end of the year, we kept the Jumbo Valley wild for another year. Thank you for standing strong in 2013 and fighting to keep it wild.

We have now entered the Final Chapter of the Jumbo saga. There are 4 major events converging in 2014:

1) The Jumbo Glacier Resort’s Environmental Certificate expires in October 2014

2) The Ktunaxa are in the BC Supreme Court right now, legally challenging Jumbo

3) The West Kootenay Eco Society’s judicial review will be heard later this year

4) And the strongest thing Jumbo has on its side: you. Your passion to keep Jumbo wild for grizzly bears and future generations is the driving force behind the campaign. Together, we’ve kept Jumbo Wild for 20+ years.

Oct. 2014: Environmental Certificate Expires

The Jumbo Glacier Resort received an environmental certificate in 2005 after an extensive public consultation period in which 91% of the nearly 6,000 comments that were received were vehemently opposed to the resort moving forward. Under British Columbia legislation, environmental certificates are issued for a 5-year period and can be renewed only once. Jumbo’s certificate was renewed in 2009 and is set to expire in October 2014 unless substantive commencement takes place, a tall order given the developer’s failure to make any progress to date.

Jumbo’s environmental certificate was issued with a caveat – 199 legally-binding conditions. Before any development begins, Glacier Resorts Ltd. must satisfy the Environmental Assessment Office that these conditions are being met. That means that GRL has a single summer season to satisfy these 199 conditions. Learn more here.

Ktunaxa: Qat’muk Court Case

The Ktunaxa presented their case in Vancouver January 6-17 to the Supreme Court of BC, arguing that BC ignored their aboriginal rights and title and that the development of the Jumbo Glacier Resort would severely impact Qat’muk, the home of the grizzly bear spirit.

If successful, this case would challenge the validity of the Master Development Agreement that is a requirement for development of the proposed resort. Learn more about Qat’muk, the court case and how you can support the Ktunaxa here.

West Kootenay Eco Society Legal Action

The West Kootenay Eco Society is moving forward on their judicial review, challenging the constitutionality of creating a town without a population and appointing a mayor and council to rule over its non-existent population. No court date has been set, but we’ll let you know when it is. Learn more here.

One thing we’ve come to learn with Jumbo is to expect the unexpected. That’s where you come in. Your passion and dedication to keep the Jumbo Valley wild has been the foundation of this campaign for over 20 years now. This year is no different.

Last year, when we rallied at the inaugural town hall meeting for the Jumbo Glacier Mountain Resort Municipality, hundreds of you came out to protest the travesty to democracy. When the Farnham Checkpoint went up to monitor activity in the Farnham Valley, many showed up and camped under the stars for weeks to ensure no illegal activity was taking place. When Jumbo Wild was selected as a finalist in MEC’s Wild Bucks competition, thousands of you voted, helping us to win the nation-wide competition. And when the Ktunaxa hosted their Qat’muk fundraiser and awareness evening in Cranbrook, you packed the 600-seat house to show your solidarity.

This year, as we move closer and closer towards October, please stand strong to keep Jumbo Wild. We know there are 199 legally-binding conditions attached to the Environmental Certificate. We know that substantive commencement of a 4-glacier, 4-season, 6500-bed resort doesn’t just mean cat-skiing tours. And we know that there are two judicial reviews taking place in the BC Supreme Court this year that challenge the fate of the Jumbo Glacier Resort. We need you to help keep the story of public opposition to the development in the minds of people across the province.

Welcome to the final chapter.