Mont-Sainte-Anne ski resort shuts down 'until further notice'; RBQ issues safety order after gondola falls

Gondolas at the Mont-Sainte-Anne ski resort. (Photo: Samuel Pouliot/CTV News Montreal)

The Quebec government has ordered five ski lifts at the popular Mont-Sainte-Anne resort to be shut down after a gondola fell down to the ground last weekend.

A notice on the Mont-Sainte-Anne website said it is "closed until further notice," however, the Oie Blanche and La Première Glisse slopes remain open. The cross-country ski trail is also still open.

According to an order from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) issued on Friday, an expert report must be completed to explain why a cable on one of the ski lifts, the Étoile filante, broke down on Dec. 10 just before the venue opened to the public.

No passengers were on board and no injuries were reported during the incident at the ski and snowboard resort in the municipality of Beaupré, about 40 kilometres northeast of Quebec City.

On Wednesday, Premier François Legault said the gondola crash was "frightening."

It's a "monstrous catch-up" that must be done with the equipment at Mont-Sainte-Anne, he said in a press scrum at the National Assembly.

"The operator has not shown in recent years that it can manage properly," he said, while not promising any help from the Quebec government.

An engineer will have to issue a safety certificate and any recommendations in the expert report must be implemented before the troubled ski lift can operate again, the RBQ said.

The other four lifts need to be examined and get the engineer's sign-off as well, and all staff will have to be given training on operating procedures.

The resort wrote in a Facebook post that it was served with the order Friday afternoon.

"We are making every effort to implement the requested requirements and honour the trust of our customers," the post said.

"A review of procedures and training was already scheduled for this weekend and additional inspections were also planned in preparation for the resumption of operations. Pending the final findings of the investigations, we are working on a plan to safely resume operations."

Stéphane Petit, the RBQ's vice-president of customer relations and operations, said in a news release that safety is their top priority and that the speed at which the resort can resume operations depends on how fast it can adhere to the order.

The Mont-Sainte-Anne resort is managed by Alberta-based Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR). It has previously experienced other problems, including defective lifts, snowmaking failures and neglected chalets.

In 2020, about 20 people were injured after a gondola suddenly stopped.

With files from The Canadian Press