FAQ

The BVMR team is engaging in proper and respectful consultation with all 24 Stó:lō communities within S’ólh Téméxw, the traditional territory of the Stó:lō people.

While this engagement is mandated by the Province of BC’s All Seasons Resort Policies and Guidelines, our actions are guided by the core Indigenous values upon which BVMR was founded. First and foremost is the belief that no major resource projects in Canada should proceed, unless the local First Nations upon whose traditional territories the proposed project is located, are invited to be meaningfully engaged and become major owners in the project. This focus on joint management and equity ownership in the BVMR Project are the foundations of our Stó:lō consultations. Those consultations are being conducted in full accordance with all Stó:lō community consultation protocols.

Additionally, the BVMR Project will be jointly planned and developed to the highest environmental standards and sustainability principles with the participating Stó:lō communities, applying Stó:lō cultural, traditional and land stewardship values.

BVMR has initiated a broad consultation process with the local Stó:lō Communities and Leadership, aimed at having collaborative, respectful and meaningful discussions. Our engagement work with the Stó:lō began in early January 2021, when Bridal Veil Mountain Resort Ltd. began its formal consultation process with the 15 Stó:lō Member Communities of the S’ólh Téméxw Stewardship Alliance (STSA), as managed by the People of the River Referral Office (PRRO) in Stó:lō. All the Project documents, including the EOI that was filed with the Province, were made available to the 15 Communities. Additionally, we filed a comprehensive Formal Response to initial issues raised by the PRRO on the BVMR Project in early March, which was circulated to the 15 Communities. Our active and ongoing consultation with these Stó:lō Communities includes filing updated Project documents and new information regularly with the PRRO, which makes that  material available to the 15 Communities through its online portal.

We have also reached out to the nine other Stó:lō Communities that are not members of the STSA, to initiate respectful consultation and engagement with them, in accordance with each Community’s local consultation protocols. We are now actively engaging five of those Stó:lō communities, fully respecting their own consultation processes and procedures.

As of early June 2021, we are actively involved in various stages of Community consultation and engagement with 20 of the 24 Stó:lō Communities. One of the four remaining Stó:lō Communities has formally withdrawn from the Provincial consultation and engagement process.

In addition to the engagement efforts described above, in early January 2021, we sent a personal letter to all the Stó:lō leaders, including Chiefs and Councilors, in all 24 Stó:lō Communities. The letter introduced the Project, acknowledged it was on the Traditional lands of the Stó:lō people, and asked for their advice and guidance on how we could follow their protocols and begin our formal engagement processes with all of the Communities.

In these challenging times with COVID, most Stó:lō Communities are closed and are following their own COVID protocols to protect their Members. This has made direct meetings and meetings impossible. However, we have been actively following up with them through our advisor on Indigenous matters and have been directly calling and are in communication with many of the Communities.

In April, we again connected with all 24 Stó:lō Communities and each Community’s Leadership personally, providing our Project announcement press release and website address, and again asking how we can continue to properly engage with their Community, in accordance with each Community’s protocols and procedures. In addition, we have reached out to the broader Indigenous communities and business organizations in S’ólh Téméxw.

To date, we have provided detailed presentations about BVMR to 10 Stó:lō Communities. The presentations include information about the project provided by BVMR’s owners, Brent Harley and Associates (the mountain resort designer) and our advisor on Indigenous matters. Additional Community presentations are planned for June.

Generally, we have had a positive response to our engagement with Stó:lō Leadership and we will  continue to provide Stó:lō Communities and Leadership with Project updates through direct and ongoing correspondence. Although the BVMR Team has been very active and engaged throughout S’ólh Téméxw, it is important to note that the Project is still in the very early stages of its consultation and respectful relationship-building with the Stó:lō Communities.

We strongly believe that any project undertaken on Stó:lō lands must involve the participating Stó:lō Communities in whatever capacity they deem appropriate. Recognizing that the proposed site is in S’ólh Téméxw, the traditional and unceded lands of the Stó:lō people since time immemorial, our core values are to first work closely with local Stó:lō Communities and Leadership to explore: opportunities for meaningful involvement; joint equity ownership and management; jointly designing the Project with the Stó:lō to the highest environmental standards and Stó:lō traditional, cultural and land stewardship values; as well as laying the foundations for a mutually respectful partnership, to jointly advance BVMR with the participating Stó:lō. To that end, we have initiated a broad Stó:lō consultation process aimed at having collaborative and meaningful discussions with Stó:lō Communities, to achieve these core values.

Additionally, we see Stó:lō ownership and meaningful participation as key foundations for this Project, and believe their business expertise and Indigenous world perspectives would contribute greatly to the success of the Project. From an environmental perspective, we recognize that the Stó:lō have used and protected these lands for thousands of years and no one understands them better. If this Project proceeds, every decision we make together would honour Stó:lō cultural and traditional values, and the Stó:lō commitment to environmental responsibility and land stewardship protection.

Notably, Bridal Veil Mountain resort has the opportunity to be the first four season mountain resort in Canada to be jointly developed, owned and operated in a full partnership with local participating First Nations Communities.

With the Stó:lō Communities and Leadership that the Proponent has engaged with to date (June 2021), several issues and comments have been raised in the various engagements and Project presentations.

1. Overlapping land claims: In our consultation with the STSA and the PRRO, and in presentations with a number of Stó:lō Communities, we have received territorial land maps of several Stó:lō Communities and Tribes that present overlapping land claims in the proposed areas of both the Cascade Skyline Gondola (CSG) and Bridal Veil Mountain Resort. Stó:lō has complex land territories, that ultimately, only the Stó:lō Communities and their Members can resolve, and this will guide and determine the future of any project on their lands.
2. Gondola blindsided?: The Cascade Skyline Gondola was not “blindsided” by the announcement of the BVMR Project. The Bridal Falls Gondola Corporation, Cheam First Nation’s co-owner in the CSG project, was aware the BVMR Project was advancing more than a year ago, in early 2020, when the Province of BC was supporting the filing of an Expression of Interest for the BVMR Project. Soon after the EOI filing, the BVMR team reached out to all Stó:lō, including the Cheam First Nation and began its initial consultation and engagement.
3. BVMR’s Stó:lō engagement approach: In almost all of our discussions with the Stó:lō, Stó:lō Leadership have said they respect that we have engaged with them at the earliest stage of the Province’s project application process. They have also positively acknowledged our goal and efforts to fully include all Stó:lō Communities that may wish to participate in the collective Indigenous ownership of the BVMR Project.
4. Protection of the Lands: Without question, the dominant issue that the Proponent has heard in all of its consultations and engagements with the Stó:lō, is the critical importance of protecting the environment, Mother Earth, the watersheds, special Stó:lō sites, fish and wildlife. The BVMR Project was specifically located as far away as possible from the very important Stó:lō lands around Mt. Cheam and the Three Sisters. A core value of the BVMR proponents and investors is that these are the lands of the Stó:lō People, and any proposed development must be jointly planned and developed with the Stó:lō to the highest environmental and sustainability standards, within the Stó:lō cultural, traditional and land stewardship values. After all, who knows these lands better than the original occupants of the lands for nearly 10,000 years. In addition, and most importantly, under the All Seasons Resort Policies and the approval processes and procedures required for a four-season destination resort, BVMR’s final approved Master Plan with the Province would impose a very high level of environmental and sustainable land use standards and controls, that BVMR would be legally obligated to honour and implement. These Resort Policies provide a much stronger level of land management and environmental stewardship protections than the comparable policies for the CSG Project, under the Provincial Adventure Tourism Policies.
5. Indigenous Clean Energy: Climate change has been raised as a concern and that has raised issues surrounding the electrical and energy requirements needed to service BVMR. Across Canada, Indigenous Communities are leaders in clean power, such as wind, solar, biomass and geothermal. Working with the participating Stó:lō Communities, these clean energy options and a whole host of climate change and sustainable planning guidelines can be jointly considered for BVMR.
6. Unfortunate Commercial Competition: It is certainly unfortunate that the current Provincial engagement process must choose between two very good, but very different types of proposed commercial projects. The CSG Project is a well-planned, sightseeing-based gondola project, very much like the Sea-to-Sky Gondola in Squamish. The BVMR Project, is a comprehensive four-seasons destination mountain resort, with major ski hill and year-round recreational and sightseeing amenities, two sightseeing gondolas, a unique Alpine pedestrian village, and a major base village with residential, hotel, commercial and Indigenous cultural facilities. BVMR is more like a Sun Peaks, Big White or Whistler.
7. Working Together: We have certainly heard the concerns raised by a number of Stó:lō Communities, about two First Nations-focused projects competing against each other. In the spirit of collaboration, BVMR Ltd. has always been willing to meet with the proponents of the Cascade Skyline Gondola project. Hopefully, with open respectful and constructive discussions, it may be possible for these two projects to jointly and respectfully agree to a new pathway forward, by working together.
8. The Stó:lō Will Decide: The BVMR team has pledged directly to the Stó:lō Communities and their Leadership, that if the participating Stó:lō Communities do not support the BVMR project on their lands, then the BVMR project will not proceed. In the end, we believe the only proper way forward is for the Stó:lō people to make the final decision on both projects, under the current provincial engagement process.

We believe the proposed Bridal Veil Mountain Resort will provide significant benefits and opportunities for the region and the province, including:

• Jobs and training: From planning and construction, to operation, BVMR will generate thousands of training, employment and career opportunities in sectors such as arts and culture, construction, hospitality, resort management, tourism, transportation and more.
• Local project spending: The BVMR project would generate significant local spending though sourcing and procurement of materials, supply and labour for food and beverage, landscaping, building maintenance, retail, rentals, leasing and accommodations.
• Local tourist spending: BVMR would generate significant local spending for travel, accommodation, F&B, tourism, retail, arts and culture.
• Recreation: BVMR will provide outdoor enthusiasts with access to 11,500 acres of great terrain for many numerous winter and summer activities.
• Tax revenue: BVMR will generate significant local hotel tax revenue for Chilliwack, and other tax revenue for Chilliwack, the region and the Province. (Annual paid taxes are expected to exceed $26 million at buildout.)
• Tourism: BVMR would be a major new, year-round tourism driver for the region and Province, drawing thousands of additional visitors to other Fraser Valley/BC attractions.

Our project team is committed to meeting or exceeding the highest environmental standards and incorporating the world’s best practices in mountain resort design. Our goals are to build BVMR as a sustainable community, responding to the realities of climate change, and to incorporate local First Nations traditional, cultural, and land stewardship values, developed in partnership with local First Nations communities.

Throughout the provincial project review process, BVMR will be subject to provincial inter-agency, First Nations and local government reviews. Among the key proposal components that will be assessed are environmental impact and remedies proposed to mitigate any identified impacts. Given the opportunity to proceed from the EOI to the next stage (Formal Proposal), that Formal Proposal would address and/or include, among other things:

• A technical inventory and analysis of the proposed resort lands, with appropriate mapping.
• An environmental inventory of the proposed development lands.
• Development concepts for the resort’s primary attractions, illustrating and discussing its balanced resort capacity.
• Development concepts for staging and support facilities.
• Environmental issues and hazards resulting from the proposed development and planned remedies for these issues and hazards.
• Economic and social impacts and land use issues, including proposed means of conflict resolution.

Should the BVMR project proceed beyond the EOI stage, we will continue to enhance and update our knowledge of the wildlife and wildlife habitat that may be impacted through the planning process. This would include an Environmental Inventory of the entire study area, completed by a qualified environmental professional (QEP) in advance of the Formal Proposal stage, and an Environmental Audit and Mitigation Plan completed by a QEP as part of the Master Plan stage. Further, based on the projected size of BVMR, the project would trigger an Environmental Assessment under the BC Environmental Assessment Act. The results of these environmental studies and the prescribed mitigation actions would shape the refinement of the resort concept during the Master Plan stage. Finally, if the BVMR project is ultimately approved, prior to construction, we would have detailed surveys of proposed development sites (e.g. buildings, ski lifts) completed by qualified environmental professional.

It should be noted that, among our highest priorities are the meaningful participation by the Stó:lō Communities and meeting or exceeding the highest environmental standards. To that end, in addition to carrying out the Provincial processes dictated by the All Season Resort Policy, we are fully committed to continued consultation with the Stó:lō Communities and incorporating their traditional land stewardship principles as part of the foundation for the resort planning and design process.

The proposed Bridal Veil Mountain Resort study area does not overlap with any provincial parks, protected areas, or municipal parks.

In winter, BVMR will offer downhill skiing, snowboarding, cross-country skiing, backcountry touring, skating, snowshoeing, tubing, Indigenous cultural activities and sightseeing.

In summer, BVMR will offer lift-serviced downhill mountain biking, cross-country mountain biking, hiking, camping, zip lines, aerial adventure park, Indigenous cultural activities and sightseeing.

While detailed winter climate studies remain to be completed, records show that the area’s natural snowfall is significant, and temperatures are suitable for snowmaking.

It is anticipated the ski season could run from December to April, offering something for everyone, including ski runs for every skill and experience level and runs reaching 2,300 feet of skiable vertical.

Bridal Veil Mountain Resort has the potential to match the size and capacity of BC mountain resorts like Big White, Silver Star, Sun Peaks, and Revelstoke. In terms of gondola-accessed mountain resorts, BVMR, as proposed, would be similar (in Canada) to Sunshine Village in Banff, (in Europe) to Avoriaz/Morzine in France and (in the United States) to Mountain Village in Telluride.

Click on the link below for a bar graph comparison of the proposed Bridal Veil Mountain Resort tenure compared to other well known ski hills.

BVMR_Resort Comparison

Regarding public access to the existing Controlled Recreational Area, one of the options we would seek to explore is the creation of a Backcountry Access Management Plan developed collaboratively with public user groups. Of course, it should be noted that our highest priorities are the meaningful participation by the Stó:lō Communities, First Nations land stewardship values; and exploring this resort concept and joint equity ownership and management with the Stó:lō Communities. Therefore, should the proposed Bridal Veil Mountain Resort proceed to the next stage in the application process, any decisions will be jointly determined in collaboration with our Stó:lō Community Partners.

The preliminary concept includes 18 chairlifts (plus the 2 gondolas), but this number isn’t fixed and will likely move around somewhat as we move through the planning process. The ratio of Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced ski trails is not known as we have not progressed to that level of detail. We can say that, based on the ski slope analysis, the EOI study area contains a mix of ski terrain that closely aligns with the skier marketplace (approximately 20% beginner/green, 60% intermediate/blue, and 20% advanced/black). One of our priorities if/when we get to more detailed planning will be to ensure that the ski trails on offer line up with this breakdown. We will have advanced/expert terrain for the experienced hard chargers, and beginner, ‘never-ever’ terrain for the people putting on skis for the first time.

For more information on terrain analysis, please check-out the Expression of Interest PDF found within the Resources section of our website.

Bridal Veil Mountain Resort has the potential to become one of BC’s premiere destination resorts and a major, year-round economic and tourism driver for local communities, the Fraser Valley and the Province. By drawing thousands of overnight and multi-day visitors to the Fraser Valley, BVMR would generate significant local spending for travel, accommodation, F&B, tourism, retail, arts and culture. It would also become a significant generator of local hotel tax revenue for Chilliwack.

Yes, BVMR will provide two sightseeing gondolas that will transport guests up to Chipmunk Ridge and two viewpoints 3,300 feet above the Valley Village. Each viewpoint will offer stunning views of the Fraser Valley and Cascade Mountain Range.

By attracting significantly more additional domestic and international visitors to the Fraser Valley, BVMR is expected to be a major, year-round economic and tourism driver for local communities and the region. In addition to residents and tourists making day trips to the resort, BVMR’s attractions and accommodations will draw thousands of overnight and multi-day visitors to the Fraser Valley. While here, these visitors will be looking to experience other Fraser Valley attractions, including other mountain resorts like Sasquatch and Manning Park.

The resort development application process is a three-phase process that includes (1) the description of the project vision known as the Expression of Interest, (2) the generation of a Formal Proposal, and (3) the creation of a Master Plan. Each phase provides provincial ministries and agencies, the federal government, First Nations, local governments and local stakeholders with opportunities to provide input on application requirements and decisions.

1. Expression of Interest
   The general location, project vision, projected market, and key aspects of the proposed resort at a high level.
2. Formal Proposal
   Greater detail on the proposed resort concept, its potential environmental, cultural, social, and economic impacts and benefits, and overall feasibility of the project.
3. Master Plan
   A complete and fully detailed resort concept, supported by a detailed environmental audit and mitigation plan, archaeological assessments, market and economic analysis, and infrastructure, servicing, and management plans.

For more information about the application process,  All Season Resorts Guidelines, and requirements for Expressions of Interest, Formal Proposals, Master Plans, please visit the Mountain Resorts Branch website.

Among our project’s highest priorities are the meaningful participation by the Stó:lō Communities, the integration of First Nations land stewardship values, and exploring this resort concept and joint equity ownership and management with the Stó:lō Communities. As part of the Mountain Resort Branch’s EOI review process, MRB has distributed a referral package to local First Nations and local government to collect their feedback about the two projects proposed for this area. The meaningful participation of local First Nations will be a critical component of each phase of the Province’s project review process.

You can reach us at info@bridalveilmountainresort.ca or 604-646-3551.
Media are asked to contact us at media@bridalveilmountainresort.ca or 604-646-3551.