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
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.