Popular B.C. lodge faces prospect of permanent closure

After more than thirty years of running a historic lodge in the Okanagan, a family is now re-evaluating their future in the hospitality business.

The Cathedral Lakes Lodge narrowly escaped total destruction last year when the massive Crater Creek wildfire broke out southwest of Keremeos, B.C. Flames tore through the lodge’s base camp but miraculously stopped just short of the main cabin, preserving the critical integrity of the 90-year-old lodge.

Unfortunately, a crucial bridge that provided essential access for operations on the provincially owned land was reduced to ash — forcing the lodge, which operates on land leased by the province, to shut down indefinitely.

“Last fall, BC Parks told us they were going to have a bridge for us by April 2024, then they said it wouldn’t be ready until July, then they told us it wouldn’t be ready at all this year,” said Richard Padmos, representing the family that has long owned the lodge since 1990.

“We lost our whole season,” he added.

Padmos says he’s growing frustrated over the lack of explanation.

“I really don’t know what’s going on. They were underway to build the bridge, and then everything stopped, and I can’t figure out why.”

The unforeseen setback also left Padmos forced to cancel roughly 1,000 reservations this year, adding to the economic toll.

“We lost half of August and all of September [last season]…roughly $300,000 worth of bookings at that point. We still have costs, we pay insurance and [property] tax, and we have no money coming in. In terms of gross revenue, we’re out over $1,000,000.”

In his most recent conversation with the province, Padmos says he was told that the bridge will be rebuilt sometime this upcoming winter. However, he remains skeptical about the timeline.

“They won’t confirm any dates; they just hope to have it ready for next year.”

“If we can’t open next year, that’s probably going to be the end of it.”

In a statement to 1130 NewsRadio, the Ministry of Environment and Climate Change Strategy recognized the critical need to rebuild the bridge but could not provide any details about the reasons for the delays.

“BC Parks is working closely with technical experts to repair damaged infrastructure so the park can reopen as soon as possible,” the response said.

A petition, spearheaded by an organizer claiming to represent Keremeos locals, was launched last month to urgently pressure the government for the restoration of Cathedral Provincial Park.