Silvertip Resort

A luxury residential development and golf course, with plans for a five-star resort spanning 600 acres. The most recently proposed ideas for the property are a gondola to the top of Mount Lady MacDonald, and a casino.

Summary

• The Silvertip property encompasses 600 acres on the lower slopes of Lady MacDonald.

  • Based on original plans, approval for 2,000 total residential and commercial units was granted by the Town in 2002. To date, a golf course and roughly 350 homes ranging in value from $400,000 to $4,000,000 have been built.

• Plans for the development of the remainder of the lands include a gondola from the base to the top of Mount Lady MacDonald, with stops at the resort and a lodge at the summit; a casino (or 'gaming' opportunities); 1,300 boutique hotel rooms, 400 more homes, and the "most luxurious large-scale conference centre in Canada."

  • The owner has stated that it will only be possible to find financing for this project if all elements can be executed in unison.

  • Amendments to the area structure plan have not yet been submitted to the town, but public input was sought through developer open house events at Silvertip in February and March 2017. Sign up for our newsletter and check the events page for updates.

Timeline: development and ownership

TODAY

The approximate maximum number of hotel and residential units that have been approved in town planning documents [based on the Silvertip Area Structure Plan 2007]:

As of February 2017, Stone Creek Properties Inc. was seeking community feedback on a proposed amendment to the Silvertip area structure plan (ASP). The ASP amendment aims to include a gondola from the base of the mountain through the resort up to the top of Mount Lady MacDonald (with a lodge to be built at the top); a gaming facility (casino), extensive development underground below the resort village, and more. Open house dates and public hearings are listed on our events page. Stay tuned for further developments.

The players

Owner of the property since 1993, Guy Turcotte is now the chairman, president, chief executive officer and majority shareholder of Stone Creek Resorts Inc. According to Culture.Alberta.ca, he owns two major real estate developments, Silvertip Resort and Eagle Ranch Resort in Invermere, which together are valued at $2 billion. He founded and created Fort Chicago Energy Partners, which owns approximately 50 per cent equity in Alliance Pipeline, and was president and chief executive officer of Chauvco Resources Ltd., which he sold in 1997 for $1.3 billion. He was previously the chief executive officer and founder of Western Oil Sands Inc (1999-2005), which was sold for $7 billion in 2007.

"His overriding concern is to ensure that every action taken at Silvertip is in harmony with and inspired by the land itself. From highway to village to pinnacle, the resort, by nature and design, awes those who have had the opportunity, as he has, to see the very best the earth can offer." [ silvertipvillage.com.]

Understand the latest proposal

[Section UNDER CONSTRUCTION 02/15/17]

View the approved 2007 ASP

Community concerns

Many concerns have been raised by Canmore residents who attended the two open houses on the proposed changes to the development in February and March 2017.

They include: whether the development is out of step with Canmore's newly updated Municipal Development Plan and key community values — particularly related to the proposed casino and gondola.

There are also concerns being raised about increased traffic and the wildlife corridors in the area, which Turcotte said at one of the open houses were part of the original approvals for the property.

On the provincial side, gondolas are not a permitted use in wildland parks (Mount Lady MacDonald is located in the Bow Valley Wildland Park). As a result, it would require a change to provincial legislation — potentially setting a precedent for other wildland parks across Alberta.