Sea to Sky Gondola reopens as RCMP investigation into vandalism continues
For the first time in 10 months, the Sea to Sky Gondola is welcoming visitors.
“It was really fun. I loved the hikes and stuff,” said Faeryn Sherry, who came with her school. "It’s amazing.”
Staff have worked tirelessly since the cable was cut in September 2020 to get it up and running once again. This was the second time the cable was vandalized, the first cut happening a year earlier, in August 2019.
“It was really scary because I don’t know who did it,” said Sherry. "And it’s just kind of like, why do it again?”
That’s the question on the minds of many: Could the vandal or vandals hit again?
As of the reopening, no suspect has ever been identified, and police have not released any photos or images depicting who it might be.
The RCMP told CTV News in an email that there are no new updates on the case, but it remains a priority for the Sea to Sky detachment.
Kirby Brown, general manager of the Sea to Sky Gondola, said security has become a "preoccupation" for the operators.
“I used to say I run a tourism business and now I run a security operation, and that’s both sad and true," Brown said.
After the first incident, the team increased security and they’ve done the same again this time.
“While I can’t mention specifics, I think the comprehensive nature of it is what makes it unique,” said Brown. "There’s additional measures that make it harder to access the towers, and also parking the cabins every single night, removing them from the line.”
Those cabins will be parked behind the guest services office each night and added back to the cable every morning. Brown said it takes about 30 minutes to do, and will keep the cabins safe from the elements such as storms. It will also ensure if someone successfully cuts the cable for a third time, no car will come crashing to the ground.
“We’d all feel better when they catch these individuals or the individual. But we’ve accepted from the outset that this is our security posture forever,” said Brown.
Some surveillance camera towers are visible from the cabins as passengers ride to the top, but Brown explained there are some other measures taken that are not visible.
“We really have spent the last eight months digging deep into who we are, what we represent and how we want to be in this country, and that work has been hard and fascinating and very vulnerable,” said Brown.
There was a steady stream of hikers and sight seers arriving on opening day, eager to take in the view they’d missed for nearly a year.
“The people who’ve done this are reckless and they have directly endangered people’s lives,” said Brown. “Squamish is a town that deserves better.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Trudeau acknowledges charges in Nijjar killing, calls for commitment to democracy
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has acknowledged the charges laid Friday in relation to the murder of B.C. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
No proof man lied to brother about number of kittens born in litter, B.C. tribunal rules
A man was denied a $5,000 payout from his brother after a B.C. tribunal dismissed his claim disputing how many kittens were born in a litter.
Bodies recovered in Mexico likely 2 Australians, 1 American who went missing: officials
Three bodies recovered in an area of Baja California are likely to be those of the two Australians and an American who went missing last weekend during a camping and surfing trip, the state prosecutor’s office said Saturday.
Princess Anne lays wreath at B.C. veteran's cemetery; receives 21-gun salute
Princess Anne paid tribute to veterans buried at a cemetery in British Columbia today, laying a wreath to honour the more than 2,500 military personnel and family members buried there.
Mystik Dan wins the 150th Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs in a three-horse photo finish
Mystik Dan won the 150th Kentucky Derby in a photo finish, edging out Forever Young and Sierra Leone for the upset victory.
'I just can't believe that it took so long': Body found in wreckage 3 months after deadly fire
A man accused of arson in a January Old Strathcona apartment fire is expected to be charged with manslaughter after a body was discovered in the burned building late last month.
Quebec police hand out hundreds of tickets to Hells Angels and other bikers before 'first run' meeting
Quebec provincial police handed out hundreds of fines to Hells Angels members and other supporting motorcycle clubs who met for their 'first run' in a small town near Sherbrooke, Que.
Work stoppage possible as WestJet issues lockout notice to maintenance engineers' union
A lockout notice issued by WestJet to a union representing aircraft maintenance engineers could result in a work stoppage next week.
London Drugs begins 'gradual reopening' on 7th day after cyberattack
Almost a week after all London Drugs stores across Western Canada abruptly closed amid a cyberattack, they began a "gradual reopening" on Saturday.