Statement from Mayor Karen Elliott about the Sea to Sky Gondola

There are so many emotions that I and many fellow citizens are feeling as a result of this second act of vandalism targetting the Sea to Sky Gondola. Certainly, we are shocked, saddened and extremely concerned by this news. Our hearts go out to the Sea to Sky Gondola team, who are such an important and integral part of our community. We are deeply grateful that, once again, no-one has been injured.

I appreciate the response and leadership from the RCMP on the investigation. I am confident that this investigation is in excellent hands and that the full, integrated effort of the RCMP is being put towards finding the perpetrator(s). I am also inspired by the resilience and leadership of the team at the Gondola who are already focused on the future and rebuilding once again.

We are a tight-knit community and an attack on any of our businesses is felt to our core. There are so many questions as to “why”, which we don’t have answers to right now. The gondola has been an incredible addition to Squamish, and is widely loved and appreciated by locals. This was evidenced by the outpouring of support in the aftermath of the first act of vandalism, through their reopening on Valentine’s Day, and I have no doubt that we will see the same kind of support again this time.

As a community we, unfortunately, have been through this before and will get through it again. We are resilient and strong. This just makes us stronger, together. In the days ahead we will work with community partners to ensure the team at the gondola has the support they need to weather this new setback.

We have no information to suggest that there is cause for wider security concerns in Squamish. We are staying in close contact with the RCMP and will receive regular updates as required as the investigation continues to evolve.

~ Karen Elliott, Mayor

September 14, 2020