TORONTO — The provincial association representing Alpine and Nordic ski facilities hopes for an early meeting with government officials will clear the way for the reopening of ski hills across Ontario.
The Ontario Snow Resorts Association (OSRA) was incensed when the government ordered ski hills to shut down as part of the COVID-19 lockdown that began on Dec. 26.
As of Wednesday, Dec. 30, the association says 9,000 people are off work, and its members have tallied $82 million in lost revenue to date.
Many critics have questioned why outdoor ice rinks are open during the shutdown while ski hills are closed.
"We hope to learn what rationale the government used to single us out," said Kevin Nichol, president of the OSRA.
Nichol said he hopes to hear Thursday about a meeting with provincial officials.
"We will be asking to work closely with the government to work on reopening ski areas as soon as possible."
A petition calling on the province to reconsider the decision had nearly 77,000 signatures by late Wednesday afternoon.
Nichol warned that the longer a ski area is closed, the more likely it is that may not reopen.
However, he declined to speculate on how many Ontario ski hills might be in jeopardy because of the lockdown.
Ontario is the only jurisdiction in North America to close its ski hills because of the pandemic.
The operators of both the Loch Lomond and the Mount Baldy ski areas in Thunder Bay have expressed frustration with the shutdown.
They said they had already implemented numerous measures to ensure the safety of skiers and staff.
In Northern Ontario, ski hills will be allowed to resume operations on Jan. 9, but other hills in the province must stay closed another two weeks.
