PUBLIC FEEDBACK DUE- SOUTH ANDERSON RESORT – EARLY ENGAGEMENT

June 26th 2025

Event Details

  • Date:
  • Spots: 110
  • Member Cost: Free
  • Destination: Your Comfy Chair
  • Categories:
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Attendee Screening: Registration is First-Come/First-Serve

Description

Please follow link below and scroll to the end of page to share your thoughts:

https://engage.eao.gov.bc.ca/SouthAnderson-EE

This is a big undertaking, and your input is important.

About the project

Spuzzum First Nation proposes to develop the South Anderson Mountain Resort approximately 38 kilometers north of Hope, B.C. The project is proposed within a 7,415 ha controlled access recreation area that includes road and tunnel construction, a resort village, a golf course and ski facilities across three mountains. If completed, the proposed resort would have a total of eleven lifts with a hill capacity of 9,000 skiers per day and an overnight capacity of 12,000 beds.

Environmental assessment phase: Early Engagement

The proposed South Anderson Mountain Resort project is in the first phase of the environmental assessment process, called Early Engagement. This preparatory phase sets the foundation for the rest of the environmental assessment. It gives the public, First Nations, local, provincial and federal governments and the EAO a chance to better understand the project and its potential impacts. Early Engagement begins important conversations with First Nations, technical experts, stakeholders and the public to identify key issues and concerns early in the process to make sure they are addressed in the assessment. How those who may be affected by the project want to be engaged throughout the assessment process is also explored.
The EAO is seeking public feedback on Spuzzum First Nation’s Initial Project Description, as well as their Engagement Plan. These documents describe key details of the proposed project such as:
  • What kind of activities would take place both in construction and during operations if the project proceeds.
  • What would be built as part of the project, and where parts of the project would be located.
  • How the project could affect the natural environment and nearby communities, residents, workers and businesses.
  • How Spuzzum First Nation has engaged the public, First Nations, local governments and stakeholders already, and how they plan to gather feedback from these groups moving forward.
  • Why the proponent believes the project does not require an environmental assessment.

Exemption request

Spuzzum First Nation is seeking an exemption order from the Environmental Assessment Office, which means that, if granted, the South Anderson Mountain Resort project would not require an environmental assessment. Oversight of the project would be carried out by various provincial ministries and associated permitting and regulatory processes required for resort developments and operation.
Spuzzum First Nation’s IPD explains that:
  • The proposed project supports Indigenous reconciliation and healthy First Nation communities in the Fraser Valley.
  • Much of the resort area has already been disturbed by industrial logging, making it a low-impact development.
  • Spuzzum First Nation brings deep, place-based knowledge of the area, which—along with studies and permitting—will inform how the resort interacts with remaining environmental features.
  • Federal and provincial regulatory processes will ensure adequate planning, consultation, and engagement with Indigenous nations, agencies, and stakeholders.
The EAO welcomes feedback on this exemption request, including any additional information that should be considered during the next phase of the environmental assessment process, where the Chief Executive Assessment Officer will consider if the project is a candidate for exemption.

Why we’re engaging the public

Public engagement is an essential part of the EAO’s environmental assessment process. Projects have the potential to affect nearby communities both negatively and positively, and no one understands a community’s values, unique features or concerns better than the people who live or work there.
Each phase of the environmental assessment process gathers information – from First Nations, technical experts, government agencies, stakeholders and the public – that supports the next phase. During public comment periods, we ask specific questions relevant to the activities and information gathered during that phase. In Early Engagement, we are looking for input from the public on questions like:
  • How would you like to learn about the project and the assessment process?
  • What parts of your community or the natural environment around the project are most important to you and could be affected by it?
  • Do you have any concerns with how the project is proposed to be built, where it would be located, and what activities would take place?
  • What are the most effective ways to spread the word in your community about future opportunities to give input?
  • Do you have information that is important for the Chief Executive Assessment Officer to consider when deciding whether the project should be exempt from an environmental assessment?
  • What other feedback do you have that did not come up in the specific questions we asked?

Next steps

After the public comment period closes, the EAO will prepare a Summary of Engagement outlining the key issues and concerns identified during Early Engagement. It will also list the First Nations that will be participating in the assessment process. The Summary of Engagement will help guide Spuzzum First Nation as they develop a detailed project description. Once submitted, the detailed project description informs the EAO’s decision on whether the project is suitable for an exemption from an environmental assessment (as requested by Spuzzum First Nation) or if it should proceed to an environmental assessment.

Our public feedback platform: EPIC. Engage

The EAO is using a custom built platform to gather public feedback. It allows us to ask specific questions about the project and provide helpful information relevant to that question.
We continue to add improvements and features to the platform and your feedback will help us improve EPIC.engage to better meet your needs. We would appreciate hearing about your experience using it. After you’ve finished providing feedback on the proposed South Anderson Mountain Resort project, you’ll be invited to complete another short survey on your experience. Please take a few extra minutes to share your experience with us. Thank you very much!

Guest sign-up

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