VICTORIA - Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development Bill Bennett announced Tuesday that Cabinet has approved the incorporation of Jumbo as a mountain resort municipality.
A municipal council has been appointed for a term ending Nov. 30, 2014, and an interim corporate officer has also been named and will serve until the first council meeting of the new municipality.
Appointed as Jumbo's first mayor and councillors are Greg Deck, Nancy Hugunin and Steve Ostrander. Phil Taylor will be the interim corporate officer, ensuring that the municipality is operational by its incorporation date of Feb. 19, 2013.
Jumbo Glacier Resort's Master Development Agreement was approved in March 2012, following a 20-year review process and extensive consultation that informed and developed the Environmental Assessment Certificate, Resort Master Plan and Master Development Agreement.
In 2009, the Regional District of East Kootenay requested that the B.C. government incorporate Jumbo as a mountain resort municipality. In May 2012, government amended the Local Government Act to clarify provincial
authority to incorporate a mountain resort municipality whether or not there are residents in the area at the time of incorporation.
The year-round ski resort will be located at the foot of Jumbo Mountain and Jumbo Glacier, 55 km west of Invermere. The $450-million resort is planned in three phases and will ultimately include 5,500 bed-units in
a 104-hectare resort base area. It is projected to provide
approximately 3,750 person years of construction employment and create 750 to 800 permanent full-time jobs.