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Jumbo opposition outraged by province
The B.C. Government is coming under fire for today’s announcement of the signing of the letters patent for the creation of a municipality in the Jumbo Valley.
Leading the charge is the Ktunaxa Nation (KN), which says the provincial government is showing disdain toward the First Nation by making the announcement of the designation of Mountain Resort Municipality status for Jumbo and its proposed, and still non-existent, Glacier Resort Ltd. village.
“This once again shows the disdain demonstrated by the B.C. government towards our spiritual beliefs and the foundations of our culture,” said Kathryn Teneese, Ktunaxa Nation Chair. “We have clearly and consistently indicated that if this resort is built, it will critically damage our religious rights and freedoms, as well as our aboriginal rights, all of which are recognized by the Canadian Constitution.”
The KN announced Nov. 15 that it was filing for a judicial review of the Jumbo project approval by the province last March (https://www.e-know.ca/news/ktunaxa-to-file-for-judicial-review-of-jumbo-proposal/ ) and with that in mind, Teneese said, “We also feel that it is inappropriate for the B.C. Government to create a resort municipality with a judicial review pending on the approval of the resort. This is just another example of how the B.C. Government has mishandled and failed their constituents in regards to Jumbo.”
The KN had already planned a rally to take place on November 30 in Cranbrook, which coincides with the official filing of the application for judicial review of the approval of the controversial resort. The rally will start at the new Ktunaxa Government Building in downtown Cranbrook at noon, and a march will proceed to the Courthouse where the court proceedings are expected to take place.
“This decision by the B.C. Government will further fuel anger and frustration from the residents of the region, who strongly oppose this resort,” continued Teneese. “We invite all those who oppose Jumbo Resort to join us on November 30 to show our collective displeasure with the BC Government.”
In March, the BC Government approved the controversial resort in the heart of an area the Ktunaxa call Qat’muk (GOT MOOK), which is home to the Grizzly Bear Spirit, and is vital to Ktunaxa culture and spirituality and the region’s environment.
Meanwhile, Wildsight is saying the government’s announcement is a wilderness land grab and the decision flies in the face of democratic land-use decisions, overwhelming public opposition, grizzly bear science, First Nations spiritual claims and opposition from the Union of BC Municipalities (UBCM).
“This is a public land grab. For 20 years, the people have said no to the Jumbo Resort, grizzly bear scientists have said no to the Jumbo Resort and the Ktunaxa Nation has said no to the Jumbo Resort. In September, the UBCM said no. This decision changes the face in democracy in B.C.,” stated Robyn Duncan, Program Manager with Wildsight.
The ability of the B.C. Government to create a municipality in a wilderness area is made possible by controversial changes to the Local Government Act in May 2012. These changes allow for the designation of a Mountain Resort Municipality (MRM) in a wilderness area, with no permanent population and no infrastructure. The BC government has said they will fund the salary of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO) of the new municipality and the taxpayer will be responsible for road maintenance and avalanche control costs.
The UBCM responded with strong opposition in September 2012, stating they do not support an unelected body making land-use decisions.
“Land-use decisions should be made locally,” said Duncan. “This process is an end-run around the local democratic process and it ignores the advice of the government’s own grizzly bear biologists, who have said that the Jumbo Glacier Resort would threaten the viability of grizzly bears in the Purcell Mountains.”
The Jumbo Glacier Resort has been proposed for more than 20 years. To date, there has been no referendum on the issue, despite overwhelming opposition. Grizzly bear biologists have stated the area is essential to maintain healthy grizzly bear populations in the Purcell Mountains, the Wildsight release noted.
For Ktunaxa, Qat’muk is where the Grizzly Bear Spirit was born, goes to heal itself, and returns to the spirit world. For the Ktunaxa, relying on the continuation of traditional spiritual and religious practices, Grizzly Bear Spirit is a unique and indispensable source of collective as well as individual guidance, strength, and protection. Qat’muk’s importance for Grizzly Bear Spirit is inextricably interlinked with its importance for living grizzly bears now and in the future, the KN outlined in a press release.
Ktunaxa people have occupied the lands adjacent to the Kootenay and Columbia Rivers and the Arrow Lakes of British Columbia, Canada for more than 10,000 years. For more information on the Ktunaxa visit: www.ktunaxa.org .
The Jumbo Creek Conservation Society (JCCS), an organization with more than 1,500 members, formed in 1995 to fight the establishment of the four-season ski resort, which has been valued at between $450 million and $1 billion, depending on what day of the week it is and who you are speaking with, is saying the government has today created a “banana republic in the Jumbo Valley.”
By invoking the Bill 41 Mountain Resort Municipality legislation the government is acting against the will of the regional population and of the UBCM, said JCCS co-founder Bob Campsall (pictured above).
“For over 20 years, the regional population has remained unwaveringly opposed to Jumbo Glacier Resort,” said Campsall. “This announcement demonstrates the current government’s blatant disrespect for public opinion, for democracy, and for the role of elected local governments as managers of local land uses.”
Campsall’s statement echoes a September 2012 UBCM Convention resolution wherein local and regional governments from all across BC voted almost unanimously in opposition to the Mountain Resort Municipality amendments to the Local Government Act.
(See e-KNOW’s lead story for more on that, with comments by District of Invermere Mayor Gerry Taft: https://www.e-know.ca/news/greg-deck-to-be-first-mayor-of-jumbo/ .)
“In order to muzzle public involvement in the normal land use amendment process, the province has appointed a puppet council which will be operated as a commercial enterprise for private profit where the profits gained from private exploitation of public lands will accrue to a single developer, while the economic, environmental, and social debts incurred will be the taxpayers’ responsibility,” said Campsall. “Despite this announcement, we will continue to advocate for a rational and democratic land use process, and for a wild Jumbo Valley.”
“We want to know how much B.C. taxpayers will be asked to pay annually for the salary of the MRM-appointed administrator, and when the MRM will begin the first of their applications for government grants to build the multi-million dollar road that crosses more than a dozen avalanche paths on its way to the future townsite,” he continued.
For more information on Qat’muk please visit: www.beforejumbo.com .
Ian Cobb/e-KNOW
