THURSDAY, OCTOBER 8, 2015
25 CELEBRATING
AWARDS 2015
www.agassizharrisonobserver.com
YEARS
& 6805206
PEOPLE’S CHOICE
NOTARIES PUBLIC
Real Estate Transfers 604.796.2925
CLEAN UP
Local shoreline clean up brings out volunteers and gets results.
5
Illustration of the long range plans for the Hemlock area. The master plan received provincial government approval this week.
Hemlock Resort takes next big step
FUSION
Flamenco Fusion Dance Spectacular.
INSIDE
18
Election . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Opinion . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Mail Bag . . . . . . . . . . . 7 Peoples Choice . . . . . . 9 Business . . . . . . . . . . 19 Classieds . . . . . . . . . 22
Jessica Peters BLACK PRESS
The Hemlock Resort Master Plan has been approved by the provincial government. This is one of the final hurdles the mountain’s management company, Berezan Management, will have to climb in an attempt to revitalize the mountain. They started creating the massive plan seven years ago, after purchasing the assets out of foreclosure. The plan includes a sizeable expansion in both size and in operational seasons, with the hopes of making Hemlock a viable, year round resort. While the average number of skiers in 2010 was about 1,150 a day, the hill hopes to one day see 13,440 skiers on the hill each day. Hemlock Resort announced the news on Facebook on Friday morning,
posting a letter sent to owner Ralph Berezan from the Ministry of Forest Lands and Natural Resource Operations. “Hemlock Resort has addressed the concerns raised through the course of the review to FLNR’s satisfaction with amendments to the Master Plan and commitments that will be incorporated into the Master Development Agreement,” the letter states. “In the coming months, our office will be working with you to finalize the new MDA which will replace your existing agreement for the resort.” The finalizations will include working with Sts’ailes on the establishment of a First Nation Woodland Licence over the Controlled Recreation Area, as well as support from the government in working with the Fraser Valley Regional District.
The letter, attributed to Terry Pratt of the Mountain Resorts Branch, said the plan will bring “much-needed capital investment in recreational infrastructure and all season tourism opportunities.” Hemlock Resort congratulated management on securing the support of the government. “After seven years of focused effort, working closely together with Sts’ailes and the BC Provincial Government in the development of a new Master Plan for Hemlock Resort, we are pleased to announce that we have cleared one of the final hurdles by securing approval for the development plan,” the resort’s Facebook page reads. “This announcement brings Hemlock resort one step closer to becoming a year round playground in the Fraser Valley.”
Get the skills you need to re-enter the job market. We’re here to help!
Over those seven years, Berezan has reached out to residents in the the small communities that surround the mountain. They officially unveiled the master plan in 2010, when the review process began. In September 2013, they set up an open house in nearby Sts’ailes to meet with the public. The grand plan is that Hemlock Resort will one day stretch from the mountaintop, down to the shores of Harrison Lake. While the resort is small now, the surrounding area gives it great potential, the master plan says. “At first glance, Hemlock’s physical attributes might be dismissed as insubstantial when compared to the world’s great mountain resorts,” it reads. “As illustrated in this Master Plan, the opportunities at Hemlock are very significant.” Continued on 8
(604) 796-0266 7086 Pioneer Ave, Agassiz, BC
The Employment Program of British Columbia is funded by the Government of Canada and the Province of British Columbia.
arnice@workbcagassiz.com