Parks Canada has reached an agreement with the previous owners of the Glacier Park Lodge and an adjacent gas station and has announced it plans to demolish the derelict sites.
The lodge and the gas station at the summit of Rogers Pass have been unoccupied for years. Since then businesses controlled by the previous owners of the hotel and gas station, Yoho and Abbot Ridge Investments, sued Malcolm and Linda Campbell, the couple who bought the business from them in 2008.
The companies alleged the Campbells owed $2.6 million plus interest on a deal the plaintiffs largely financed.
They also sued Parks Canada, claiming that they sought to negotiate an agreement “whereby Glacier Park Lodge might be put into operation, but Parks Canada has refused to consider any such arrangement.”
In its announcement on Wednesday, October 19, Parks Canada said it “recognizes the contribution Glacier Park Lodge made to the experiences of visitors to Glacier National Park over the years. The area around Rogers Pass is an integral part of Canada’s national transportation corridor, and offers access to world-class hiking, backcountry skiing and breathtaking scenery for any traveller. Glacier Park Lodge was a valuable part of these experiences for many years.”
However, it noted that while a full evaluation of the sites will take place in the coming months, “we do know that the structures are now beyond repair, are unsafe and require demolition as they have deteriorated considerably since their closing in 2009 and 2012.”
Next steps will be to remove the buildings, site remediation and draft plans for any redevelopment in the area to meet visitor needs as well as improve the ecological condition of the site. Any potential redevelopment will involve public engagement and consider present and future summer and winter services, visitor safety, and cultural and natural resource management requirements.
The statement also noted that improvements are already underway in Glacier National Park as part of Parks Canada’s investment in infrastructure work within national historic sites, national parks, and national marine conservation areas across Canada. Projects in Rogers Pass area include Trans-Canada Highway improvements, a new permanent washroom facility adjacent to the Rogers Pass Discovery Centre and upgrades to aging water and sewer infrastructure. Investments in visitor infrastructure will ensure the quality and reliability of visitor facilities and will continue to enable Canadians to connect with nature.
