A resort municipality without residents? The case of Jumbo Glacier resort in the Purcell Mountains of British Columbia, Canada.

Abstract This chapter discusses the decades-long process of development of the proposed Jumbo Glacier ski resort and describes in some detail a long-standing polarization and numerous challenges surrounding the decision approval process at the provincial and regional levels. The Jumbo story unfolded in British Columbia, with its unique institutions, colonial legacies and oppositional politics. However, the story affords broader lessons, particularly about the myth that a simple, technical, apolitical evaluation can determine whether a contested proposal in a contested setting will meet the standards of sustainability and sustainable development.