Whitehorse city hall rejects plan to save Mt. Sima skiing

Whitehorse city councillors voted down a plan that would have seen Mount Sima allow down hill skiing this year despite a grassroots movement to save it.

The Friends of Mount Sima had asked the city for $200,000 to open the ski hillthis season. They had managed to secure 800 pledges for season's passes, and raised $85,000 in sponsorships. City staff reviewed the request and recommended the city provide $65,700 to fund operations from the city's general reserves.

But last night, city councillors voted down the plan to provide any additional funding in a 4-2 vote.

Mayor Dan Curtis voted down the funding but says he's not giving up on the hill.

"The ongoing issues at Sima have caused me great concern and I want to propose that we take a serious look at previous operations so we can learn what worked, what went wrong and why, and put measures in place to ensure that these same pitfalls can be avoided in the future," Curtis said.

"It is my hope that we can learn from past mistakes and provide more clarity and accountability for Mount Sima's operations."

Curtis says he plans to bring forward a motion next week to bring in an independent auditor. Council says it wants to see a detailed funding plan developed so the ski hill can open nextwinter.