Fallen gondola at Mont-Sainte-Anne forces ski resort closure

Stakeholders are denouncing the Resorts of the Canadian Rockies for negligence after a gondola dropped at the Mont-Saint-Anne ski resort in Beaupr, Que.Saturday.

No one was injured,but the event follows an incident from two years ago that sent 21 people to the hospital after they were injured on the ski lift.

The ski resort will remain closed until at least Monday.

Saturday's events mark one incident too many, said Yvon Charest, president of Les amis du Mont-Sainte-Anne (AdMSA).

"When the gondola is closed for months and everyone tells us that everything is perfect and then it's not, well I start talking about neglect," he said.

The AdMSA is working to revitalize the site and is asking the Quebec government to pressure the owner into bringing in a new manager.

"I think it's game over for RCR [Resorts of the Canadian Rockies]. This is not the first time that there has been a problem at the very start of the season," Charest said. "It shows what Les amis have always thought, which is that RCR does not have a serious preventive maintenance program."

"The government certainly does not want to manage the mountain, but there is good news: another manager has come forward," added Charest, who is also the federal government's negotiator in the Quebec bridge file.

In September, the Le Massif group, which operates a site in Petite-Rivire-Saint-Franois, submitted a bid to take over Mont-Sainte-Anne. However, the owners hinted that they are unwilling to sell.

'Enough is enough'

Agns Maltais, former Parti Qubcois MNA for Taschereau and minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region, does not mince words about the events.

"Enough is enough," she said. "How long will the government let an operator endanger citizens? In two years, this operator, RCR, still hasn't made the necessary changes [and done] the maintenance. People's lives are in danger."

According to Maltais, the government owns the mountain, but a lease is signed with RCR until 2099.

"The government must either expropriate or negotiate ...but change the operation of the mountain," she said.

She says RCR breached its contract with the Quebec government by "putting people's lives in danger."

"The owner is not doing itsjob," she said.

Inspection

Charest said the government has always avoided expropriation because it considers it a tool of last resort.

He's asking the government to either stop subsidizing RCR or increase the power of the Rgie du btiment du Qubec (RBQ), which is responsible for ensuring the safety of chairlifts in the province.

"The RBQ is in contact with the representatives of the MSA[Mont-Sainte-Anne] ski resort and will plan a visit soon," saidspokesperson for the RBQSylvain Lamothe.

Thelast RBQ intervention at the Mont-Sainte-Anne ski resort was during the 2021-2022 ski season, he said.

"Everything was in order and allowed the use of the ski lift. Following the incident the use of the ski lift remains prohibited."

Quebec City Mayor Bruno Marchand said the situation is worrisome and thatMont-Saint-Annehas an undeniable economic impact on the city..

"It's a gem. It is a popular vacation spot," he said. "What happened yesterday, it created a big commotion."

Marchand says he supports the provinceand AdMSA in the search for solutions.