The Squamish-Lillooet Regional District (SLRD) board of directors has given second reading to potentially rezoning portions of the Brandywine Creek and Callaghan Valley areas permanently to allow local operator, Blackcomb Snowmobile, to continue operating on Crown land as an adventure tourism operator.
Currently, Blackcomb Snowmobile has license to operate on the Crown lands through to the end of 2036, but had to abide by municipal bylaws which required it hold a Temporary Use Permit (TUP) with the SLRD.
The company's TUP permitted dog-sled tours, snowcat skiing tours, office facilities, equipment repair and storage, fuel storage, dog kennels, a staging area, and a hut for backcountry guest warming and food service on 2,491 hectares of land south of Whistler.
As discussed at the SLRD's June 26 board meeting, the TUP for Blackcomb Snowmobile has expired, prompting the company to apply to permanently change the zoning of the area to allow the previous uses and add on 12 natural tent camping sites and three dwelling units for custodian and caretaker accommodations, while also expanding operations.
The rezoning would change the lands to a new "Backcountry commercial 6 (BC6)" zone that would allow a wide range of uses either already in place, or proposed for Blackcomb Snowmobile's operations.
The application passed first reading in February before referral to partner organizations, and at the June 26 meeting directors went over the responses, asked additional questions, and discussed the merits of holding a virtual or in-person public hearing for the rezoning.
Area D director, Tony Rainbow—who represents the area where Blackcomb Snowmobile operates—had the most questions to start, querying whether there was overlap with the nearby Olympic Park operations (no), whether there were measures in place to ensure sled-dog welfare (staff were not aware of detail but would inquire), and whether the company has responded to a Lil’wat Nation request for more information on socio-economic impacts of the expansion of operations, and the new structures proposed to be constructed.
Rainbow was told the Lil’wat were yet to receive a response, to which he said he would only be comfortable moving forward later down the track if they did receive adequate information.
Notably, the Lil’wat response to the application noted the Nation preferred TUPs, and queried how the SLRD would permanently rezone Crown land.
Staff said the application wouldn’t proceed through the bureaucracy without responses to the Lil’wat Nation questions about the application.
Rainbow also queried the nature of the public hearing to be held, as recommended by staff, which would be virtual. He indicated he would prefer an in-person public hearing.
“There’s the potential for concern about this,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to get through to the end of it and have people come to us and say ‘we didn’t get a chance [to engage].'”
SLRD CAO, Heather Paul, talked about the value of both virtual and in-person public hearings, noting virtual meetings were better for people from more rural areas, and also allowed residents with children to attend in the time that they had, but Rainbow repeated his preference for in-person, with staff saying they could explore the possibility.
Director Chris Pettingill also had questions for the application, first picking up on Rainbow’s questions about the public hearing and whether a hybrid virtual and in-person meeting could be held, before going on to query whether the Squamish Nation had replied to the initial referrals (no), and then picked at the proposed expansion of Blackcomb Snowmobile's overall operations—such as more infrastructure for helicopters.
According to schematics and documents submitted to the SLRD, Blackcomb Snowmobile wants to improve infrastructure to allow for more helicopter transport.
“Due to the warming climate and predictions of poor snow in the lower reaches of the Callaghan Valley, [Blackcomb Snowmobile] is planning for these future winters for snowmobile tours with proposed helicopter transport for guests to the higher elevations of its extensive use area. [Blackcomb Snowmobile] may rely on helicopters to move clients up to higher ground where snow coverage is better and on-snow activities can occur during these low-snow winters with guests being picked up at the Brandywine Base,” reads their submission to the SLRD from February.
Further detail to what Blackcomb Snowmobile want to do in regards to infrastructure was provided in maps on June 26, showing a proposed heli-pad and helicopter storage spots within an Intensive Use Site Parcel, where the company would also locate the proposed buildings.
Pettingill said he wasn’t thrilled by the idea of more helicopters.
“I have some concerns about increasing helicopter use and the justification is that climate change makes it harder to have all-season, but helicopters are pretty big drivers of climate change so I guess I have a struggle with that,” he said, before asking staff if the SLRD could put restrictions on what conditions helicopters could be used in, or whether that was beyond their scope.
The SLRD’s director of planning and development, Kim Needham, responded that aviation was a federally-regulated use, and the SLRD could only regulate around it through terms such as noise bylaws.
When pressed by Pettingill on potentially excluding helicopters entirely, Needham said the SLRD could try, but didn’t indicate confidence in such a move.
“We may be tested in the courts. That’s one risk for regulating aviation, when it's not something we’re allowed to regulate,” she said.
Staff said helicopter infrastructure would be for emergency access and not just transport for customers.
In voting on whether to push the application through second reading, only Pettingill was opposed, returning to his points about helicopters but adding that he did not want to kill the proposal entirely.
“There are a few things for me that are outstanding,” he said. “I understand it could be addressed but also once you get into a public hearing and down the road it's hard to adjust things. For me the helicopter piece is a concern. Emergency access is fine, but expanding helicopter operations at this day and age is uncomfortable. It's the wildlife piece, the climate piece, a few things." He also said despite the Squamish Nation not responding to the referral them, he wanted the Nation's input.
On the second motion of a public hearing, directors approved a virtual public hearing. SLRD staff are now tasked with scheduling the meeting for the future and prior to it being considered for third reading.
Discussion of the item can be watched as part of the June 26 board meeting on youtube. It takes place between 1:07:00 and 1:37:52.
