Belay Enterprises

Who We Are

Belay is the name of the registered company that owns the property that contains the proposed development referred to as “The Cedars”. The ownership consists of three partners, Sean Staplin, Dr. Shelley Forrest, and Jay Toffan.

Sean and Shelley have already demonstrated their strong commitment to the City of Fernie. Having lived in the area for 17 years, both have independently thriving businesses. Sean is the owner operator of the Vogue theatre, and Shelley manages an ever expanding family medical practice at the Rocky Mountain Health Centre. Sean and Shelley are very active in many aspects of the community and have an intimate knowledge of what makes Fernie such a special place to live.

Jay Toffan brings to the partnership over 25 yrs of building and development experience. Jay is from Calgary, but can be found nearly every weekend year round in Fernie enjoying all that it has to offer. He has recently decided to maintain a full time residence in the city to help increase accessibility and demonstrate his commitment to the project.

In 2003 Belay was looking for a new and exciting investment opportunity in Fernie. They felt that the ‘Cedars’ property presented an ideal vehicle to combine a sound Real Estate investment with their respect for environmentally sensitive community values. Belay knew how unique and diverse the parcel was from an environmental standpoint and became honestly afraid that it might become victim to a standard subdivision design.

They decided to finalize the purchase of the property and ensure that the parcel would be developed in an environmentally sensitive way. After a lot of research and collaboration Belay decided that a conservation subdivision design would be an ideal fit for the property. History has shown that this type of development can have strong financial success while still stressing the importance of preserving the environment. Belay is very excited to have an opportunity to work together with the citizens of Fernie to implement this innovative and viable concept. The proven success of conservation subdivision design will bring an exciting new housing alternative to the market, making Fernie a leader in conservation and sustainable development.