Bear Mountain rises to the top as
'Phoenix of Canada'

Kathy McCormick, Calgary Herald
Published: Saturday, November 04, 2006

He usually tries to save goals, but this time, he's scoring big time.Mike Vernon, former goalie with the Calgary Flames, has put his money into arecreational project that he says is a surefire winner.

"Victoria is basically the Phoenix of Canada, and real estate the last five years has beengoing very well," he says from his Calgary home. "The Alberta market has beenparticularly good for us -- not only here, but in all of B.C., from the Shuswap to Kelowna.Albertans have embraced and supported those areas because they are nice places to playand vacation, and we love that."

Vernon joined with other NHL hockey players, most notably Len Barrie, who playedhockey with Vernon for the Florida Panthers before Barrie retired. Barrie founded BearMountain Resort in Victoria, the first and only master-planned resort community onVancouver Island.

Situated on 1,300 acres of mountainside property, the community features the first 36-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed course in Canada.

Also included is the Santé Spa, another Calgary company.
Add in several world-class restaurants, a state-of-the-art athletic club and the seasideharbor just a few minutes away, and it provides the idyllic setting for those looking forrecreational property or a place to retire.

The response from the public seems to indicate agreement. Demand for Bear MountainResort in Victoria, B.C., remains at a record high, according to the director of real estatesales for the comprehensive resort.

Last fall, Bear Mountain posted the highest ever one-day total for residential real estatetransactions in Victoria with the sale of St. Andrews Walk and Finalyson Reach, saysDale Sproule.

"And this year, with Soaring Peaks, The Highlander and Stonehaven hitting the market,registrations and interest are running ahead of that pace, leading me to believe we willexceed our sales target."

One couple who agrees with the value of the project is Brian and Pat Murphy, Calgarianswho have pre-registered for a two-bedroom unit in Soaring Peaks."Bear Mountain is a world-class resort," says Brian. "It has two Jack Niklaus golfcourses, it's 20 minutes from downtown Victoria, and it has nice, modern suites. Itappealed to us in a big way."

Selection day for The Highlander and Soaring Peaks takes place Nov. 12, for those whohave pre-registered at www.dontmissout2006.com.

The Highlander sits on the 18th fairway of the golf course, a 15-storey building withviews of the golf course and Strait of Juan de Fuca.

It features traditional design with the old-world charm of a Scottish castle, and the 195units will be complemented by a Grande Hall with a two-storey library, in-house theatre,tea room, fitness centre and pool, entertainment room with snooker and games table, andtwo guest suites.

Units are priced from $315,000 to $1.3 million.
Its sister property, Stonehaven, provides residents with all the amenities offered in TheHighlander within a four-storey, boutique-style building.

Soaring Peaks, on the other hand, is a modern 23-storey tower of concrete and steel,offering spectacular views from every angle.

Amenities include a fully-equipped outdoor pool and fitness area with state-of-the-artfitness equipment, a resident-only gourmet kitchen, and high-tech entertainment area.One-bedroom units are priced from the $300,000s, and two bedrooms run from the low$500,000s.

The whole Bear Mountain Resort was launched in 2003, and the first 10 phases of lotsales completely sold out as well as a significant number of condos, townhomes andquarter share offerings, resulting in pre-sales of more than $400 million.

The crown jewel of the resort is the 156-room signature Westin Bear Mountain resort."Buyers tell us that what is attractive to them is the exclusive, full resort community thatis available to them at Bear Mountain," says Sproule. "They also say they see more valuein buying into a master-planned community rather than a single building, because inessence they are also purchasing the dynamic resort infrastructure that surrounds theirnew home."

Bear Mountain Resort is approximately 25 minutes from downtown Victoria and just ashort drive from the Victoria airport -- another draw, says Murphy.

"Victoria has always been a draw for us, as it is for many Canadians and Americans,partly because of the weather, but also for us, the location.

"We've been invited to many interior B.C. resorts, but what we like about this is theconvenience. There are multiple, direct, non-stop flights to Victoria from Calgary, so wecan be there in just over an hour."

For information, check the website at www.bearmountain.ca.

IN SHORT
RESORT: Bear Mountain Resort
LOCATION: 25 minutes from Victoria, B.C., on Vancouver Island
DIRECTIONS: Take the Trans-Canada Highway from Douglas Street in Victoria andtravel approximately 15 minutes until you see Exit 14 (Millstream/Highlands exit). Stayin the far right lane and on Millstream Road to Bear Mountain Parkway on your left.

Description: A comprehensive master-planned resort community on 1,300 acres of land. As well as homes sites, town homes, condos and fractional ownership opportunities, theresort includes a signature 36-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed golf course, Santé Spa and the Mountainside Athletic Club.

WHAT'S NEW: The resort will be launching sections of units in its latest projects, TheHighlander and Soaring Peaks, Nov. 12.
PRE-REGISTER: At www.dontmissout2006.com
INFORMATION: At www.bearmountain.ca.
THE BUYERS
Brian and Pat Murphy
Age: 63 years old
Background: The couple lives in a single-family home in Calgary, but are looking at alifestyle change. "We have businesses established in Calgary, so we don't want to retire atthis time, but are looking at having two homes -- one here and a resort home elsewhere,"says Brian. "We're looking at moving into a condo here, and Victoria has always been adraw for us."

When they saw Bear Mountain Resort near Victoria, they were impressed and ended upputting down a deposit for a unit in its latest offering, Soaring Peaks. "The resort is topnotch," he says. "It's a world-class resort and we like the convenience of multiple, direct,non-stop flights from Calgary."

LOCATION: Bear Mountain Resort is about 20 minutes from Victoria, B.C., onVancouver Island.
BUILDER/DEVELOPER: Len Barrie and other investors.
NEWS: Pre-registered buyers in the latest projects -- Highlander and Soaring Peaks -- inthe master-planned community will be given the chance to select their units on Nov. 12.
Register at www.dontmissout2006.com
Information: Check the website at www.bearmountain.ca.
Occupancy: The Murphys expect to move into their new unit in the spring of 2009.

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