Gondola fallout: Business community concerned about economic impact from collapse

SQUAMISH (NEWS 1130) – Businesses in the vicinity of the Sea to Sky Gondola have concerns about what the collapse will mean for their bottom line, and whether it will restricted to a short term concern.

When Edward Archibald with the Downtown Squamish Business Improvement Association learned that the gondola came down due to someone cutting the gondola’s cable, he was shocked.

But now the concern is shifting to the 200-plus workers — and what it will mean for local businesses which rely on people coming to town to see the gondola.

“It’s going to have a short term effect, that as a community, we’ll rally behind,” says Archibald. “And the medium to long term effects, we can only speculate at this point.”

With employment uncertainty for so many of those workers, Archibald says some Squamish area employers — especially in the service industry — will be hoping to offer those people work.

“The community business owners that have the opportunity to offer short-term seasonal employment will step up and take as many [workers on] as they can,” says Archibald. “There will obviously be some [that don’t get work] and I think at the end of the day, just how the community has responded so far, everyone will do everything in their power to step up and make sure they’re taken care of in the long run. That’s just how Squamish is as a community.”

And Archibald acknowledges some people may simply not want to get on the gondola moving forward — even though this wasn’t a safety failure.

“It won’t be easy, but I think [the gondola operators] will work hard and gain trust that may have been shattered because of this horrible act,” says Archibald.

As for an actual dollar figure on the financial impact, the Squamish Chamber of Commerce isn’t getting specific just yet.

“The Squamish Chamber of Commerce are saddened to hear about the recent closure at the Sea to Sky Gondola, and grateful that no one was hurt,” writes executive director Louise Walker. “The Sea to Sky Gondola is a fantastic community partner and a huge supporter of our tourism industry. They have a great team of people and we have every confidence the gondola will be back to full operation as soon as possible.

RELATED: Wedding plans derailed, questions abound as Sea to Sky Gondola investigation continues

“The Squamish Chamber are working with our members and community partners to support the Sea to Sky Gondola team and keep our local businesses busy. Squamish is a small community and — in the spirit of Squamish — everyone is stepping up with their support. Squamish will continue to welcome visitors to our community to enjoy the many world-class activities, events and experiences. ”

We’ve also asked if Grouse is making any changes in light of the act of vandalism in Squamish.

In a statement, Grouse Mountain responds:

“Our thoughts are with our colleagues and friends at Sea to Sky Gondola. At Grouse Mountain, the safety of our guests and our employees continues to be our top priority. We have significant safety procedures in place including stringent daily equipment checks as well as our regular 24-hour on-site monitoring at the base and the Chalet.”