Image: Bridal Veil Mountain Resort / The view looking south from Mount Archibald, taking in the proposed ski terrain of the Bridal Veil Mountain Resort. The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) will ask the provincial government to find a path forward to review two competing proposals, a gondola and an all-season ski resort in the mountainous region east of Chilliwack, in hopes of selecting a single applicant.

By Mike Vanden Bosch

Gondola, ski area proposals

FVRD to ask B.C. govt. to review and select gondola or ski area proposal, east of Chilliwack

Nov 29, 2023 | 9:27 AM

CHILLIWACK — The Fraser Valley Regional District (FVRD) will ask the provincial government to find a path forward to review two competing recreational projects envisioned for the mountainous region east of Chilliwack in hopes of selecting a single applicant.

According to a motion that passed without comment at the FVRD board meeting on Thursday, November 23, FVRD requests that the province find a path forward to review the two competing proposals, Bridal Veil Mountain Resort and Cascade Skyline Gondola, and determine the process for a single applicant to proceed through the Crown Tenure process.

The motion arose in response to a referral by the province of B.C. regarding an expression of interest update for the proposed Bridal Veil Mountain Resort and associated uses.

FVRD says such a decision to select a single applicant through the Crown Tenure process should be guided by a consensus-based approach and meaningful engagement with Indigenous communities, robust engagement with the public and interest groups, and ongoing consultation with local governments. The province will be asked to work with the FVRD to coordinate review and approval processes before granting final approvals that enable either of these projects to be developed.

These approval processes involve the FVRD major Official Community Plan (OCP) amendment, Zoning Amendment, and Development Permit approvals, which need to be supported by comprehensive technical reporting. These are required should the project proceed to the development stage, and before the project proceeds to such development stage, a robust Indigenous consultation and accommodation process must be completed by the province in a meaningful manner.

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FVRD supports the province’s interest in developing a consensus-based approach with local Stó꞉lō communities for reviewing and approving major tourism and recreation proposals in this area. According to the exact verbiage of the motion, FVRD still adheres to the following principles:

1. It is the responsibility of the Province to address matters of Aboriginal rights and title with respect to the proposed Crown land tenure. The Province should address matters of aboriginal rights and title to the lands through the Crown land tenure and All Season Resort application process and not leave outstanding matters of rights and title to the Regional District’s OCP and zoning amendment application processes.
2. FVRD acknowledges Aboriginal rights and title claims. FVRD will seek to meaningfully engage with potentially impacted Indigenous Nations during the OCP and Zoning Amendment application process. The role of the Regional District in the course of the Official Community Plan and Zoning Amendment applications process is to engage with the potentially impacted Indigenous Nations; identify any negative impacts and advocate to avoid any potential negative impacts to rights and title.
3. The applicant should maintain ongoing communication with the FVRD, Indigenous Nations, and other interest groups through the provincial review process.

According to provincial documents, the proposed alpine recreation area within the BVMR proposal is loosely defined by Mt. Archibald in the north, Mt. Laughington in the east, Mt. Mercer in the south, and Chipmunk Ridge, running from Mt. Thurston to Mt. Archibald, in the west. The valley base and staging area would be in Electoral Area D of the Fraser Valley Regional District and adjacent to the Eastern Hillsides neighbourhood within the city of Chilliwack, and a few kilometres south of Trans Canada Hwy 1. BVMR is proposed in close proximity to both the Cheam and Popkum First Nation communities and within the traditional territories of these First Nations and the Ts’elxweyeqw Tribe’s traditional territory.

Image: BVMR / A 3D map of the proposed Bridal Veil Mountain Resort.

Four conceptual road access routes are proposed, from the east, west, and south, to facilitate access to the base area village of Bridal Veil Mountain Resort.

The proposed east access route would originate from the Highway 9 interchange with Highway 1, then travel southwest, climbing to the proposed Valley Village base and staging area. The route would provide access for guests, residents, and village services.

The Allan Road access route (west) would serve the residents of the Eastern Hillsides neighbourhood. Further, Allan Road may be incorporated as an emergency egress and access route and be integrated as appropriate into the Valley Village concept in support of emergency planning and preparedness for both the Valley Village and the Eastern Hillsides neighbourhood.

An alternative access option, for future consideration, would originate at the Annis Road interchange and extend from the end of Hack Brown Road along an existing resource road, connecting to the proposed east access to the Valley Village. As envisioned, it would act as a secondary access route and a possible complement to the Valley Village access route from the Highway 9 interchange.

From the south, the existing Chipmunk Creek Forest Service Road has been identified as an additional route to access the Alpine Village. This route would support guest village services as well as guest and emergency access, according to the province.

Meanwhile, the proposed Cascade Skyline Gondola project envisions a sightseeing gondola that will provide an elevation view of over 1,200 metres above the Fraser Valley with breathtaking views of the Coast Mountains, Cascade Mountains, Fraser River, Harrison Lake, and Vancouver. Non-motorized activities consist of walking, hiking, snowshoeing, paragliding, mountain biking and viewing platforms. The Xwchíyò:m Cheam First Nation (CFN) has been the founding First Nation of the Cascade Skyline Gondola project since the project’s infrastructure is located within their territory.

Project inception began in 2016 and was first marketed as the Bridal Falls Gondola Project before being re-named. The gondola base will be located at the current Bridal Falls Golf Course, while the summit terminal is six kilometres west from Mount Cheam along the west ridge between Mount Archibald and Codeine Ridge.