Group wants Jumbo Glacier put on ice; court hearing begins next week

VANCOUVER – A B.C. environmental group is set to begin court proceedings next week in a bid to block the development of a controversial ski resort.

The West Kootenay Ecosociety is challenging the government’s decision to create a municipality that would support the planned Jumbo Glacier resort.

READ MORE: More delays for Jumbo Glacier Ski Resort near Invermere

Lawyer Judah Harrison, who represents the group, says it’s an affront to democracy for the province to grant self-government to a tract of land that has no residents and is slated for private development.

The government granted municipal status to Glacier Resorts in November 2012, appointing a three-member council and providing a quarter million dollars as a budget.

The legal action is another in a series of attempts by environmentalists and First Nations to prevent the resort from being constructed in southeastern B.C.’s Purcell Mountains.

READ MORE: Resort violates First Nation rights, says lawyer

The company first got the green light to launch the ski area in 1991.