B.C. ski resort apologizes after calling for reopening of flood-damaged highway to tourists
A ski resort in B.C.'s Interior is apologizing for comments one of its executives made to local media about the impact of essential travel restrictions for Highway 3 on the tourism industry as the province attempts to recover from devastating floods.
Michael J. Ballingall, senior vice-president of Big White Ski Resort, told Castanet News earlier this week that he would like to see the highway reopened to non-essential travel for a six-hour window between noon and 6 p.m. daily.
Ballingall explained that the resort has seen a rash of cancellations because of uncertainty around when Highway 3 - currently the most direct route between the Lower Mainland and Big White's location east of Kelowna because of the closure of Highway 5 - will be open to tourists again.
"It is clear the Coquihalla Highway (Highway 5) and Highway 1 won’t be ready to use until late January," Ballingall told Castanet.
"So we are asking on behalf of those that require travel that there be a time slot for Highway 3 for non-essential travel to use that highway.”
The massive rainstorm that flooded the cities of Merritt, Princeton and Abbotsford in mid-November also triggered landslides that closed every highway that connects the Lower Mainland to the Interior.
A few days after that storm, Highway 7 and Highway 3 reopened, creating a link between regions that the provincial government restricted to essential travel only - a category that includes commercial vehicles and previously stranded travellers returning to their homes.
Other routes, including Highway 99 and parts of Highway 1, reopened after the initial storm, but progress has been fragile. Parts of both of those highways are currently closed, and all of the highways listed so far - including Highway 3 - have had to be shut down again at various times as additional rain brought more slides and flooding.
Against this backdrop, some found Ballingall's comments about tourism insensitive, particularly to victims of the disasters that have unfolded.
On Tuesday, the mountain issued a statement in which Ballingall apologized and sought to explain his intentions.
“I have watched the flooding, and the crisis which has unfolded, closely, and (I) share in the grief of those affected," Ballingall said in the statement, before describing his comments as "misconstrued."
"The comments I made regarding travel on Highway 3 come from my position on various tourism boards throughout British Columbia, with the effects on Big White Ski Resort as an example," he said. "I deeply apologize, and recognize fully how my comments could be misconstrued as insensitive."
The point was not to diminish the devastation of the flooding, according to the statement, but "to give some certainty to the travelling public" during the holiday season.
"We know many people look forward to the holiday season, whether they are taking a ski holiday or are visiting friends or family in the Interior or on the coast," Ballingall said. "Again, I am deeply sorry and we are thinking of those affected and those on the frontline during these storms."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING King Charles' cancer treatment progressing well, says Buckingham Palace
King Charles III’s doctors are 'sufficiently pleased' with his cancer treatment and he is expected to return to public-facing duties, Buckingham Palace announced on Friday.
Orca calf that was trapped in B.C. lagoon for weeks swims free
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
'Unacceptable': Trudeau reacts after AFN chief says headdress taken from plane cabin
After the Assembly of First Nations' national chief said her headdress was taken from an airplane cabin this week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the incident 'unacceptable' and a 'mistake' on the part of Air Canada.
Regina police officer injured after being accidentally shot by fellow officer's gun
An investigation is underway after a Regina police officer was accidentally shot by a fellow officer’s gun during the search of a house early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
DEVELOPING Bird flu outbreaks: WHO weighs in on public health risk
The current overall public health risk posed by the H5N1 bird flu virus is low, the World Health Organization said on Friday, but urged countries to stay alert for cases of animal-to-human transmission.
Taylor Swift dons Montreal designer's dress in 'Fortnight' video
A pair of Montreal designers' work has now been viewed over 41 million times. Taylor Swift dons a Victorian throwback black gown in her latest music video, 'Fortnight', designed by UNTTLD due Simon Belanger and Jose Manuel Saint-Jacques.
From faulty kids' cribs to flammable kids' bathrobes, here are the recalls of the week
Health Canada issued recalls for various items this week, including kids’ bathrobes, cribs and henna cones.
Island near Mull of Kintyre for sale for US$3.1 million
An idyllic 453-acre private island is up for sale off the west coast of Scotland and it comes with sandy beaches, puffins galore, seven houses, a pub, a helipad and a flock of black-faced sheep.