Phil Novak, Calgary Herald
February 8, 2000 -- Golden years are anticipated in Golden, B.C., once a $70-million luxury ski resort is built
in the timber town, 260 kilometres west of Calgary.
Oberto Oberti, president of Golden Peaks Resort Inc., says the master development agreement between the project's
Dutch developer and the B.C. government will likely be signed Friday.
For decades, the forest industry had provided many of Golden's 9,000 residents with their livelihood.
But 500 employees lost their jobs when the town's main employer, the Evans plywood mill, closed in 1996.
A B.C. government bailout -- and a 10-per-cent wage rollback -- allowed the mill to reopen, but the message was
clear: it was time for Golden to diversify its economic base.
Golden Peaks will mark the overhaul of the existing Whitetooth ski area through a phased-in expansion.
The Golden Peaks Gondola, the project's centerpiece, will rise almost 1,200 metres from Whitetooth's base to the
summit of the Dogtooth Mountain Range at an elevation of about 2,400 metres.
Golden Peaks will also include 450 hotel rooms, a resort village and single-family dwellings.
About 350 new jobs are expected to be created by the development, which will be phased in over seven years, and
it should help stabilize property values and expand the town's tax base.
"We're definitely anticipating a huge shot in the arm for tourism and the economy in general with Golden Peaks,"
says Kirsten Wurmann, general manager of the the Golden Chamber of Commerce.
The town was so eager for Golden Peaks that residents voted 94 per cent in favour of it in a 1997 plebiscite.
Because of Golden's proximity to Calgary, Wurmann anticipates a large contingent of city and southern Alberta visitors.
Ironically, many will be attracted by Alberta's lack, outside of national parks, of year-round, mountain destination
resorts with on-site accommodations.
While Dutch engineering giant Ballast Nedam International will provide the financing, the inspiration for Golden
Peaks came from Oberti, the Vancouver developer who is also an architect.
Prior to the mill crisis, Oberti had been at an economic conference in Kootenay seated next to one of Golden's
administrators, who told him about the town's ski hill, wildlife and white-water rafting. Oberti visited Golden
a number of times after that conversation, and ultimately submitted a proposal to Ballast.
The Issue
Golden, B.C., will diversify its economic base, reducing its reliance on the forest industry.
- What's New:
An agreement to be signed Friday calls for a $70-million resort to be built in the town.
- What's Next:
Development will be phased in over seven years and should create about 350 jobs.
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