Talisman Mountain Resort – Permanently Preserved!

The BTC bought the “middle lands”. The Talisman Lands are made of three large parcels:

-The 59 acre “upper lands” to the west of the ski hill are currently owned by Beaver Valley Development Group (BVDG). Though they have not put forward an application to develop these lands, they have said they will in the future. Currently, this is agricultural land used for cattle grazing.

-The 142 acre “middle lands” include the brow, slope and buildings. This is the section that the BTC has bought from Brian Ellis and Phil Cavano. 

-The 75 acre “lower lands” along the Beaver River, formerly used as a golf course, are proposed to be developed into more than 370 units as well as commercial uses by owner BVDG. 

-The BVDG development proposal requires approval by Niagara Escarpment Commission and the Grey County before it can proceed. There is still a live application for massive development at Talisman.

ECA contributed in a number of ways:

-We brought public awareness to the importance of this property from an environmental perspective through our newsletter, social media channels, community meetings, and meetings with local political officials.

-Working with the Protecting Talisman Lands Association, we raised over $250,000 to fund the groundwork, including: commissioned studies that documented the environmental importance of these lands and the cold water streams that run through the property as well as the presence of endangered and at-risk species plus karst topography.

-We ensured that the NEC and Ministers of Natural Resources and Environment were fully aware of the developments and their implications and had the information needed to make informed comments

-We provided detailed comments on the subdivision and zoning applications and spoke at many public meetings against the developments

-We made multiple submissions to Grey Highlands to avoid municipal and taxpayer subsidization of the roads, sewage, water and other infrastructure needed for the developments 

-We initiated and funded a Vision Talisman exercise in 2023/4, led by the planning and landscape design firm Public City, with strong community participation. The Vision proposed a regenerative, conservation-based approach to the entire site. 

-We funded an appraisal of the land to assist to facilitate acquisition discussions.

-We discovered and investigated the status of the mortgage on the property and followed the legal foreclosure process

-We initiated and continued conversations with the property owners to ensure they understood the environmental importance of the land and our interest in preserving it.  The owners came to our community meetings and were always professional and positive in their dealings with us. 

-We initiated formal negotiations to acquire the Talisman Mountain Resort lands in the summer, with the BTC informed and then passed the negotiations over to BTC as the best long-term land holder and steward. 

Yes, though the middle lands purchased by BTC will now be protected for conservation, the BVDG has submitted an application to Grey County to subdivide the lower lands to permit more than 380 units as well as commercial uses. The ECA believes that this proposed development is inappropriate for the site, in both its scale and its impact on local infrastructure, the delicate local ecosystem and the community.  The Niagara Escarpment Commission has also outlined significant concerns about the proposed development, including that it would require a functioning ski resort and be scaled to service, and its negative visual impact when viewed from several very important local recreational sites, including Old Baldy. ECA continues to oppose the development proposal and with the change in ownership of the middle lands, ECA is pursuing alternative ways of conserving these lands.

The Upper lands are also owned by BVDG who have indicated they will submit a development application for these lands in the future. 

BTC now owns these buildings. The future of the existing buildings has yet to be decided, and the Bruce Trail Conservancy is carefully evaluating potential options and has committed that they do this with a conservation based approach.  The condition of the buildings is very poor and demolition and environmental restoration is a very possible outcome.

The BTC has indicated it will develop a plan to ecologically restore the slope. It will be moving the trail to its optimum route along the brow of the hill which has one of the best views of the entire trail system.

With your time and generous donations. ECA needs funds to hire planners, appraisers, conservation experts and other professionals to help us achieve our collective vision for an ecological corridor in the Southern Georgian Bay region: www.myescarpment.ca/donate

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