The gondola at the Mont-Tremblant resort reopened to the public Tuesday, one month after a Canadian Armed Forces member was killed when he was thrown from the moving structure.
The operator confirmed on its website’s blog that the gondola’s reopening comes as “Tremblant has carried out exhaustive analyzes and verifications in collaboration with the authorities and experts.” The service resumed at 9 a.m.
“The gondola will follow its usual operating schedule. The Grand Manitou as well as the activities and services of the summit will be open,” Station Mont-Tremblant said.
In an email to Global News, a spokesperson for the organization said “Tremblant has received the approval of the authorities, including the RBQ (Quebec’s building authority) and the CNESST (Quebec’s health and safety board) to reopen the gondola to the public and it will operate it in conformity with the manufacturer’s recommendations, as it has always done.”
Station Mont-Tremblant added it will not be commenting “on the accident, the victims or the investigation.”
Sheldon Johnson, 50, died from his injuries in hospital on July 16 after the incident in Mont-Tremblant, about 130 kilometres north of Montreal.
The Kingston, Ont., man was one of two passengers ejected from the gondola when it was struck by the mast of a drill rig that was being moved underneath. Johnson was a member of the 5th Canadian Division and had served with the military for 20 years.
The other passenger, a woman who was Johnson’s partner, was also hospitalized with critical injuries.
The drill was being operated by subcontractor Forage M2P at the time and the worker was taken to hospital for shock. Forage M2P and the resort offered their condolences to the victims’ families.
Quebec provincial police launched an investigation into the incident. On Tuesday, a spokesperson confirmed the investigation is ongoing and police are continuing to meet with witnesses.
The province’s building authority, the Régie du Bâtiment, and Quebec’s health and safety board (CNESST) were also investigating the deadly crash.
— with files from Global News’ Annabelle Olivier and Alessia Simona Maratta and The Canadian Press
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