The opening of a new treetop tourist attraction in Kelowna, B.C. is on hold after someone used a chainsaw to slice up three support trees.
The vandal didn’t chop the trees down, but the damage did render the ropes course at Myra Canyon Adventure Park unsafe, forcing owner Rolf von Andrian to cancel this weekend’s opening.
“There is no other intention than hurting us,” Andrian told CTV News. “The pure damage to be repaired is $20,000.”
The course, which is the park’s main attraction, was designed to take visitors into the trees to take in views of the canyon.
Andrian said about 40 per cent of it now has to be redesigned, and it could take until August before the park will be ready for the public again.
“We’re going to make it. It doesn’t stop us, but it does hurt us,” he said.
On top of the repair costs, Andrian estimates he’ll be losing between $50,000 and $100,000 in revenue due to the delayed opening.
The RCMP has opened a file on the vandalism but Andrian isn’t optimistic they’ll find the culprit.
He said most of his neighbours have been supportive about the park, but he understands why some might not welcome it with open arms.
“Doing any kind of business brings more cars, so if you live here [and] you want it totally quiet and untouched, you try to push out any business,” he said.
With a report from CTV Vancouver’s Kent Molgat
