2 • Wednesday September 26, 2012 The Valley Sentinel
UPFront
Glacier resort formal proposal presented to government and First Nations Daniel Betts Editor
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nother important milestone toward a yearround resort near Valemount, B.C. has been reached. The Tourism and Resort Operations Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resources Operations, is currently reviewing a 202 page document entitled, Formal Proposal for a Glacier Tourism Destination centred on Mt. Arthur Meighen near Valemount, British Columbia. Prepared by Pheidias Project Management Corporation (PPMC), and Oberti Resort Design for Valemount Glacier Destinations Ltd.(VGD), the document illustrates the proponent’s design concept in greater depth than the Expression of Interest, which was presented at the beginning of the year. The formal proposal has not been publically released, but has been circulated amongst interested parties, including the Valemount Ski Society and The Valley Sentinel. Local Government and First Nations were also given advanced copies for their review. According to Tommaso Oberti, speaking on behalf of PPMC to The Valley Sentinel, the resort operations branch does not have a firm timeline, however he believes the branch will allow up to 45 days to receive any interagency comments. “Preliminary feedback we’ve received is positive and we’re hoping they will be able to complete their review and proceed to the interim agreement in the next 50-60 days,” said Oberti. Oberti noted that formal proposals are not released to the public because of the possibility
competing groups may conceivably “appropriate” their work at a later date, should government reject or delay a particular proposal. While VGD was awarded sole proponent status by letter, a confirmed signed agreement won’t exist until the interim agreement is finalized. Oberti explained the formal proposal will be released to the public when proofreading is completed, and with the expectation the prov-
“Normally, public input does not begin until the project enters the master plan stage.” - Tommaso Oberti on a formal proposal being presented to governments and First Nations. ince will act in good faith to honour VGD’s recognition as sole proponent. According to Oberti, often government and First Nations will make comments during the process that will result in modifications to the formal proposal. As a courtesy to the public, the formal proposal may be made available on a project website, which is in the works, following required modifications, which could happen in
as soon as 20 days. “Normally, formal public input does not begin until the project enters the Master Plan Stage,” said Oberti. The Master Plan Stage occurs after the Tourism and Resort Operations Branch staff accepts the formal proposal and an interim agreement is signed with the province. The Master Plan stage would include the development of detailed plans, studies and various rounds of public input. The concepts contained within the formal proposal are general and preliminary in nature. “We haven’t arrived at the point in the process where we engage the public on the details of the project and we haven’t completed the studies to support the preliminary planning,” explained Oberti. He believes in-depth discussion on details would not be particularly productive or appropriate at this particular stage. Oberti says that while they have shared ideas and concepts, and have sought the input and support of locals in creating a general concept and design, further dialogue, particularly with directly affected stakeholders, is still desired, but at the appropriate time and in a pragmatic way.
PUBLIC NOTICE
RECALL AND INITIATIVE ACT
This notice is published pursuant to section 4 of the Recall and Initiative Act. Approval in principle has been granted on an application for an initiative petition. The petition will be issued to proponent Dana Larsen on Monday, November 19, 2012 and signature sheets must be submitted to the Chief Electoral Officer by Monday, February 18, 2013. The Title of the Initiative is: An initiative to amend the Police Act. Summary of Initiative: The initiative draft Bill entitled, “Sensible Policing Act” proposes to amend the Police Act to no longer use provincial police resources on the enforcement of current laws in relation to simple possession and use of cannabis by adults. The draft law would prohibit the use of provincial police resources for this purpose, would require police to report in detail to the Minister of Justice any actual use of resources for this purpose and why it was necessary, and require the Minister to publish that report. The Bill also proposes that the Province would call upon the Federal Government to repeal the federal prohibition on cannabis, or give British Columbia an exemption, such that British Columbia is able to tax and regulate cannabis similar to the regulation of alcohol and tobacco. As well it proposes that British Columbia shall establish a Provincial Commission to study the means and requirements necessary for the province to establish a legal and regulated model for the production and use of cannabis by adults. Last, the Bill would make nonlawful possession and use of cannabis by minors an offence similar to possession and use of alcohol.
Initiative Advertising: Individuals or organizations who sponsor initiative advertising, other than the proponent and registered opponents, must register with the Chief Electoral Officer before they conduct or publish initiative advertising. Registration applications are available from Elections BC. Who May Sign the Petition: Registered voters as of Monday, November 19, 2012 may sign the initiative petition. Individuals may only sign the petition once, and must sign the petition sheet for the electoral district in which they are registered at the time of signing. Signed petitions are available for public inspection. For More Information: The initiative application and draft Bill are available for public inspection on the Elections BC website and at the Elections BC office at the address below. Location: Suite 100 – 1112 Fort Street, Victoria, B.C Mailing Address: PO Box 9275 Stn Prov Govt, Victoria, BC V8W 9J6 Phone: Toll-free: Fax: Email: Website:
250-387-5305 1-800-661-8683 250-387-3578 electionsbc@elections.bc.ca www.elections.bc.ca
Opponent Registration: Individuals or organizations who intend to incur expenses as opponents must apply for registration with the Chief Electoral Officer by Monday, October 22, 2012. Registration applications for opponents are available from Elections BC.
www.elections.bc.ca / 1 - 8 0 0 - 6 6 1 - 8 6 8 3
“Indian summer”
Elk in rut, ripe blueberries, fresh snowfall on the mountain peaks, migratory birds and fall colours in their glory show themselves briefly as autumn presented itself this week. Photos by Andrea Scholz