A proposal was recently put forth for a new ski resort in the mountains around Bridal Veil Falls; currently Crown land, the hills are home to many public trails. The project, Bridal Veil Mountain Resort (BVMR) would be able to handle over a million visitors annually and span almost 12,000 acres over the mountains near Chipmunk Ridge and Lady Peak. The developers backing the ski resort have attempted to give the impression that they have or want Indigenous communities’ blessings for the project, with Robert Wilson of BMVR saying, “We would look forward to incorporating local First Nations traditional, cultural, and land stewardship values, developed in partnership with local Indigenous communities.” A land acknowledgement is also prominently displayed on the resort’s website. However, Cheam First Nation, whose unceded traditional territory Bridal Veil Falls is actually on, has issued a statement by Chief Andrew Victor speaking out against the proposed resort.
There isn’t much of an argument to be made about why BVMR should not be considered beyond what the Cheam First Nation has written in their statement condemning the project. For one thing, the land in question is unceded Stó:lo territory — the land rightfully belongs to Cheam First Nation. For another, Cheam First Nation has already been developing a proposal for a tourism site there for the last five years. Their site, the Cascade Skyline Gondola (CSG) would see an 8-passenger electric lift up to a recreation area for nature activities like hikes, sight-seeing, and guided tours.
The CSG project would involve land regeneration and conservation, traditional use areas, education about Stó:lo culture, and eco-friendly activities – not because they would be in keeping with environmental standards, but because they’re the right activities for the location. On the other hand, while claiming to respect environmental standards and the Indigenous communities to whom the land belongs, a commercial ski resort designed to bring in a million visitors a year would be unequivocally damaging to the ecosystem around Bridal Veil Falls. It is irresponsible at best and is only justifiable if you value profit over ecological and social justice.
No matter how many low-flush toilets or solar LED lights you install, this kind of large scale commercialization and development of natural spaces is detrimental not only to the location in question, but to the global environment as a whole. It sets a dangerous precedent. If projects like the proposed resort are allowed to proceed unchecked, here and now, it surely encourages further industrialization and reckless abuse of the landscape. It also shows a repulsive disregard towards Indigenous communities, as well as their cultures, values, and traditional territories.
When is enough, enough?
BVMR consistently cites tourism, job creation, and economic strength as advantages of their proposal, but after a year of the COVID-19 pandemic, those claims should ring hollow in your ears. Prioritizing the economy rather than doing the right thing is what has put our most vulnerable, marginalized populations at risk by forcing them back to work in public-facing jobs. It’s what has prolonged the pandemic for so long, as stores and restaurants open and reopen whenever case numbers drop “enough.” We are all, by now, familiar with the fact that what makes money isn’t necessarily what is right and sustainable for our communities. Furthermore, the Cascade Skyline Gondola would arguably be better for individual community members than the ski resort, as the gondola park wouldn’t close off public access to the mountains. Low- or no-cost recreation is getting increasingly hard to find all across the Fraser Valley, and an expensive ski resort would take away the opportunities for free fun near Bridal Veil Falls.
In short, the BMVR proposal is disgraceful, and the B.C. residents who proposed it should be embarrassed, not only of the proposal itself, but of the obvious lip service they’ve been paying through land acknowledgements and promises to consult with Indigenous people. It’s cartoonishly tone deaf and transparent. While it’s unlikely that the ski resort will be approved, since the Cascade Skyline Gondola has already received extensive community support, including from the City of Chilliwack, it’s important to recognize why it’s a bad idea. It’s bad for the environment, bad for decolonization, and bad for the community.
