Big White Ski Resort’s senior vice president issued an apology on Tuesday for remarks that he admitted “could be misconstrued as insensitive.”
Michael Ballingall suggested to news outlets on Sunday and Monday that Highway 3 should be open for six hours each day for non-essential travel, such as skiers, to access B.C.’s Interior.
The comments were shared Monday on Big White’s Facebook page, a portal where the Big White community and resort staff communicate and sparked a heated discussion with some saying the resort was focusing too much on profits and not enough on the people who are struggling to get back on their feet after intense flooding.
“I have watched the flooding, and the crisis which has unfolded, closely, and share in the grief of those affected,” Ballingall said.
“The comments I made regarding travel on highway 3 come from my position on various tourism boards throughout British Columbia, with the effects on Big White Ski Resort as an example. I deeply apologize and recognize fully how my comments could be misconstrued as insensitive.
“Like you, our number one priority is to ensure everyone is safe during these exceptional and heart-breaking weather patterns. We know many people look forward to the holiday season, whether they are taking a ski holiday or are visiting friends or family in the interior or on the coast. Again, I am deeply sorry and we are thinking of those affected and those on the frontline during these storms.”
Big White added its intention was never to diminish the devastation of flooding throughout the province of British Columbia, but to give some certainty to the travelling public, families and the tourism industry during the upcoming holiday season.
Already, the resort is struggling to try and salvage the season, knowing the Coquihalla will likely be out of commission for much of the winter.
“It’s a disaster,” Ballingall said of the Coquihalla being closed in an interview a week ago.
“It’s millions of dollars of cancellations. It is the worst thing that we could possibly face this time of year. And the big thing is the uncertainty: People don’t know.”
Ballingall said for Interior mountains, like Big White, SilverStar, Apex, Sun Peaks and Revelstoke the lifeline is Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.
Police are urging motorists to only travel for essential reasons, noting that with the ongoing closure of the Coquihalla Highway, Highway 3 will see increased commercial vehicle traffic for the foreseeable future.
“We’re seeing the third of these atmospheric rivers coming back to back,” James Floyer of Avalanche Canada told Global News. “That’s really given us just a huge amount of accumulation of snow.”
An already tenuous situation has been made worse by today’s atmospheric river.
READ MORE: B.C. under rain, wind and snow warnings amid another atmospheric river
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