Quebec Building Authority Orders Mont St Anne To Remain Closed Following Lift Accident

The Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) has ordered the stoppage of operation of the aerial lifts of the Mont-Sainte-Anne station. This order, notified today to the operator, follows the inspections carried out by the RBQ after the fall of a gondola from the R-176 ski lift (L'Étoile filante) on Saturday, December 10, 2022. Mont St Anne has had a number of lift accidents in recent years.

The order concerns the following five ski lifts: R-176 (L'Étoile filante), R-168 (L'Express du Sud), R-170 (L'Express du Nord), R-595 (La Panorama Express) and R-169 (The Turtle).

The L'Étoile filante was built by Doppelmayr in 1989 with a carrying capacity of 3000 people per hour and a vertical ris of 625 m and a length of 2347 m. The operating speed is 5 metres per second with a transit time of 
approx. 8:40 minutes

Grounds for order

According to information obtained by the RBQ, during the commissioning of the R-176 (L'Étoile filante) ski lift last Saturday, a malfunction occurred in the attachment of cabin no. 92 to the cable of the lift. The checks that were made before the lift was put back into operation did not meet the requirements of the CSA Z98:19 standard or the manufacturer's instructions.

Requirements for reinstating lifts

For the R-176 ski lift (L'Étoile filante), the RBQ requires in particular to obtain an expert's report aimed at explaining the malfunction of the equipment and to apply the recommendations of this report, in addition to obtaining a security certificate signed by an engineer.

As for the resort's other ski lifts that have detachable attachments, namely the R-168 (L'Express du Sud), the R-170 (L'Express du Nord) and the R-595 (La Panorama Express), the RBQ orders, among other things, to carry out the verification of the moving parts on all the fasteners and to obtain a safety certificate signed by an engineer.

For these five ski lifts, the RBQ also orders that a training plan be submitted to it. It requires the operator to ensure that personnel are trained and know, understand and apply operating procedures and rules.

Stephane Petit Vice President of Client Relations and Operations said "Remember that ski resort operators are primarily responsible for the safety of their customers. The RBQ ensures that they meet their regulatory obligations. Our priority remains public safety. The reopening of the ski lifts will depend on the pace of fulfillment of the requirements set out in the ordinance by the Mont-Sainte-Anne station."

The order is here

In response, Mont St  Anne said, “We make every effort to implement the requested requirements and honor the trust of our customers. A review of procedures and training was already scheduled this weekend and additional inspections were also planned for the resumption of operations. Awaiting the final findings of the investigations, we are working on a safe plan to revive activities.

“We were informed of the Order from the Building Authority that was issued to us at the end of the afternoon today. We will make every effort to implement the requested requirements and honor the trust of our customers. A review of procedures and training was already scheduled this weekend and additional inspections were also planned for the resumption of operations. Awaiting the final findings of the investigations, we are working on a safe plan to restore activities."