West Quebec ski hill addressed ‘non-conformities’ with chairlift discovered during investigation into fatal incident

The family of a teen girl who died after being caught in a ski lift at Centre Vorlage is thanking the community for its support. CTV’s Stefan Keyes reports.

Centre Vorlage addressed “all non-conformities” identified during an inspection of the chairlift involved in a fatal incident before the ski hill in western Quebec reopened to skiers on Tuesday, according to the Quebec agency responsible for inspecting ski lifts.

A 13-year-old Ottawa girl died in hospital on Sunday after an incident on a chairlift at the ski hill near Wakefield last Wednesday.

The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) says it conducted an inspection of the chairlift at Centre Vorlage last Thursday and Friday.

“During the inspection, non-conformities were identified, and a notice of correction was issued to the operator on the afternoon of February 13, prohibiting the operation of the aerial lifts,” a spokesperson for RBQ said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

The agency received all requested documents confirming “all non-conformities had been corrected” on Monday.

“The aerial lifts can, therefore, be put back into operation,” RBQ said.

The agency did not specify what issues were identified during the inspection or the actions taken to address the “non-conformities.”

Centre Vorlage began a “light reopening” of the ski hills on Tuesday, after being closed since the incident last Wednesday.

“Safety remains an absolute priority for our entire team, and the resort will continue its efforts to ensure a careful and respectful return to normal operations for everyone affected by this tragic accident,” Centre Vorlage said in a statement.

According to the Centre Vorlage website, all four lifts are open on Tuesday.

The MRC des Collines de l’Outaouais police and an Ontario coroner are investigating the death of the 13-year-old girl.

“The police investigation is ongoing and aims to clearly determine the causes and circumstances of the incident that occurred on February 11,” police said in a statement on Monday.

“In addition to the police and coroner’s investigations, the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) also conducted on-site inspections of the ski lift involved in the incident. It was this government entity that ordered the centre’s closure to allow for several checks. Operations will resume with the approval of the RBQ.”

Police have said a piece of the girl’s clothing got caught on a ski lift as she attempted to dismount the chairlift at the summit of the hill at Centre Vorlage while on a ski trip.

“What we know so far is that she was about to get off the chairlift at the top of the hill, the piece of clothing got caught into the chair, and at one point she was hanging from the chairlift,” Sgt Martin Fournel said on Feb. 12.

Witnesses were unable to assist the girl because the chairlift was too high and “it was decided, unfortunately, to send her back down the hill,” Fournel said.

First responders and two doctors at the hill performed CPR on the girl before she was transported to the hospital.

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