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Ski resorts blind-sided by mandatory closures

January 14, 2021   ·   0 Comments

When the Province announced the current shutdown in December, most skill hill operators thought they would be exempt and could keep their hills open. 

A working group of ski hill operators had been working with the government and public health agencies to ensure they had proper protocols in place, so when it was announced that ski hills were on the list of businesses that had to close, it came as a shock to resorts around the province. 

There are around 50 ski resorts in Ontario who have now laid off around 9,500 people, including around 1,100 seasonal employees at the Blue Mountain Resort in Collingwood. 

The industry in Ontario has lost a combined $85 million. 

“We were really taken by surprise,” said Dan Skelton, president of Blue Mountain Resort. “There was no outreach to the industry to telegraph this was gong to be the position. We spent a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of effort adapting our operation. To be the only jurisdiction in North America where skiing is shut down is really disappointing.” 

Resorts had plans in place including the requiment for everyone to wear face mask on the ski lifts and only allowing people in cohorts to access chairlifts together. Similar protocols were in place for planned programs like ski lessons. 

Hill operators have said the current plan is not “based on any solid risk analysis.” 


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