Provincial ministries to meet with Ontario downhill ski operators

Ontario's Ministry of Health and Ministry of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture are set to meet with downhill ski area operators this week, after the province ordered alpine ski hills to close during the provincial lockdown.

The Ontario Snow Resorts Association (OSRA) said it was caught off guard by the lockdown order, noting the industry had created a set of protocols so resorts could operate during COVID-19.

Kevin Nichol, the president of the OSRA told CBC News he was unsure what the meetings with the provincial ministries would entail but said ski hill operators were wanting to re-open their facilities after being forced to close on Boxing Day.

A letter writing campaign, called Save Our Skiing, had garnered 2,500 letters to MPPs across the province, while an online petition had received over 74,000 signatures as of Tuesday afternoon.

One ski area in Thunder Bay, Mount Baldy, had been operating with COVID-19 protocols since Oct. 31. Most areas in southern Ontario were starting to open up for the season during the school holiday break.

Nichol said ski resorts were still able to groom, make snow and perform maintenance work during the shutdown.

The provincial government did not give any specific reason as to why ski hills were singled out during the provincial shutdown, despite numerous requests for specifics from CBC News. Only a generic statement about the importance of slowing the spread of COVID-19 was given.

Nichol said Ontario remained the only jurisdiction in North America to close its ski hills during the pandemic.