The proposed and long-debated $1 billion Jumbo Alpine Ski Resort development 57 kilometres west of Invermere in the West Kootenays has won approval from the province, confirms Steve Thompson, minister of forests, lands and natural resource operations .
"After more than 20 years of comprehensive and exhaustive reviews, it was time to make a decision. I approved Jumbo Glacier Resort's master development agreement after reviewing all of the relevant documentation and meeting with both First Nations and the proponent," said Thomson in a statement.
The province says the project will attract $900 million in investment and create 750 permanent jobs.
Once complete, Jumbo will feature up to 23 lifts, a 3,000-metre-high gondola and a ski village with more than 6,000 units. The resort will be comparable in size to Silver Star in Vernon or about one-tenth the size of Whistler Blackcomb.
Oberto Oberti, the architect behind the proposal, hopes to have the first phase up and running within two years.
from Western Investor May 2012
