Garibaldi, British Columbia

Garibaldi, originally named Daisy Lake and also known as Garibaldi Lodge and Garibaldi Townsite, is an abandoned locality in British Columbia, Canada, on the Cheakamus River around its confluence with Rubble Creek and just south of Daisy Lake.[1]

Garibaldi
Garibaldi Location of Garibaldi in British Columbia
Coordinates: 49°58′00″N 123°09′00″W
Country	Canada
Province	British Columbia
Area code(s)	250, 778

The townsite had been in existence since shortly after the opening of the Pacific Great Eastern Railway, with its post office opening in 1916, and it had been the site of Garibaldi Lodge, one of several rail-tourism lodges along the rail line, the most well known in this locality being Rainbow Lodge at Alta Lake. The settlement's name was changed from Daisy Lake to Garibaldi in 1932 by dint of association with the intended main basetown for Garibaldi Provincial Park.

Although some buildings remain, including public works facilities, the community is officially depopulated due to the geohazard posed by The Barrier, a lava dam holding back Garibaldi Lake that has let go at various points in the past; Rubble Creek gets its name from the large boulder field created by successive degenerations of the Barrier.

Plans for a ski development at this location were ended when evacuation was ordered, property owners and residents of the townsite were ordered by the provincial government to evacuate Garibaldi amid much public controversy as to whether it was really necessary or not. To compensate property owners, lots were offered in the new Pinecrest and Black Tusk Estates subdivisions a bit further north, and out of the way of the debris path from The Barrier. The name Garibaldi Lifts Company, the founding company of what is now Whistler Blackcomb, was chosen in anticipation that Garibaldi would be the major resort in this area.[2]

A new ski resort complex received approval from the provincial government in January 2016, with an all-season facility that will require twenty years to build getting underway. It will be fifteen kilometres north of Squamish on Brohm Ridge, which is just a mile west of Mount Garibaldi and four miles south of Garibaldi Lake. It will include ski lifts and runs, multi-purpose hiking, and biking trails. It will include a car-free village with housing, restaurants and shops linked to Squamish by transit. Aquilini Investment Group vice president Jim Chu said the benefits of the project will include four thousand jobs to operate the resort, two thousand to build it, millions of dollars in tourism-related activity and $49 million in tax revenue.[3]