The Regional District of East Kootenay has decided to leave the governance of the proposed Jumbo Glacier Resort to the province at its latest meeting on Friday morning.

The board did however ask that residents of East Kootenay and First Nations be consulted on future decisions.

The vote was split 8-7, just as it was when the RDEK originally sent the power to govern the proposed resort to the province in August of 2009.

Back then, the majority of the board felt the responsibility would be too onus for regional district staff and take up too much time that could be spent on other regional projects.

Since that original vote, there have been six new faces come to the board and it was decided that the vote should be re-done at the June 8 meeting.

The province signed a Master Development Agreement with the proponents of Jumbo Glacier Resort in March, giving it the green light to go ahead after 22 years.

On May 9, the B.C. legislature passed amendments to the Local Government Act that would allow the province to create a mountain resort municipality for Jumbo and appoint a mayor and council before there were any permanent residents.

Gerry Wilkie, Director of Area G, where part of the proposed $450 million all-season resort would lie, told the Townsman earlier this month that the proposed resort municipality status is what urged him to bring the issue back to the regional board.

See more on this story in Monday's edition of the Townsman.