NEWS

Bridal Veil Mountain Resort Announces Change in Leadership Team

CHILLIWACK, B.C. (May 20, 2021): Bridal Veil Mountain Resort (BVMR), the 11,500-acre tourism attraction proposed for Chilliwack in the S’ólh Téméxw, the traditional and unceded lands of the Stó:lō people, announced today that Norm Gaukel, one of the project’s original proponents, has sold his stake back to the project and will be leaving it due to health and family reasons.

“Our entire team wishes to express our gratitude to Norm for the passion and dedication he devoted to this project,” said Robert Wilson, President of Bridal Veil Mountain Resort. “Since he first envisioned this four-season mountain resort some 20 years ago, one of Norm’s highest priorities was ensuring local First Nations were provided with meaningful opportunities to participate in it. Our project team is equally committed to exploring this resort concept, including potential joint equity ownership and management with the Stó:lō Communities. All of us wish Norm the best and genuinely appreciate the vision that got us this far.”

Gaukel said he is excited by the proposed resort’s potential and looks forward to the new leadership taking the project to the next phase in the application process.

“Getting a project like this off the drawing board and turning it into a reality for our community and province takes time,” added Gaukel. “I will always be an enthusiastic supporter of Bridal Veil Mountain Resort and I regret that I will not be available to help guide the project to the next level in its approval and development process.”

Guiding the project moving forward will be Robert Wilson and Mike Lalonde. The project will also continue to be planned by Whistler-based Brent Harley and Associates (BHA), one of the world’s most experienced and respected mountain resort planning and design firms. Continuing to guide the project’s extensive consultation with local First Nations and Stó:lō Communities will be Michael Watson of DPI Development Partners, who has 20 years’ experience working in S’ólh Téméxw, the large Stó:lō Traditional Territory.

The proposed Bridal Veil Mountain Resort is currently in the expression of interest phase of the provincial government’s all-season resort development application process. Yesterday, the project team held a virtual information session so the public could learn more about the exciting new tourism attraction. Following a brief presentation, the public was provided with an opportunity to ask questions. The presentation can be viewed on the project website’s resources page.

The next phase in the application process would be the submission of a more detailed Formal Proposal, followed by the submission of a comprehensive Resort Master Plan. Throughout this process, the concept for Bridal Veil Mountain Resort will continue to be revised and refined with input from Stó:lō Communities, local government, stakeholders, the public, and the Mountain Resorts Branch of the Ministry of Forests, Lands, Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. The BVMR Expression of Interest is available on the project website.

For more information, visit www.bridalveilmountainresort.ca

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Contact:
Greg Descantes
604-646-3551
media@bridalveilmountainresort.ca