The sudden closure of a major ski resort because of a labour dispute has thrown Quebec’s Charlevoix region into uncertainty. Le Massif is a major draw for skiers and a key economic engine for the region northeast of Quebec City.
“Ninety-nine per cent of our revenue here comes from tourism,” said Serge Bilodeau, mayor of Petite-Rivière-St-François, the village at the base of Le Massif de Charlevoix, a renowned ski destination offering views of the wide expanse of the St. Lawrence River.
“The closure is having an impact on the entire region,” Bilodeau said.
The union representing about 300 workers launched a strike Jan. 2, with wages a main point of contention during negotiations. Le Massif closed that day then partially reopened on Jan. 6 for a few days with limited operations. But after unionized employees rejected a contract and arbitration offer on Jan. 19, the resort cancelled the rest of the ski season.
Bilodeau said accommodation cancellations in Petite-Rivière-St-François began as soon as the resort first shut down on Jan. 2. He added that one-third of the village’s homes are tourist rentals.
On Tuesday afternoon, Claude Choquette, president of Groupe Le Massif – the resort’s developer – said conciliators had summoned both sides to a meeting and emphasized the “urgency” of reaching a resolution by the end of the week.
The union representing Le Massif workers added that it remained hopeful a settlement could be reached. Mitchell Dion, director general of Tourisme Charlevoix qualified the meeting as ”a small glimmer of hope.”
The impacts could spread unevenly across the region. Dion said operators had already been shaken by losses over the holiday period, with several businesses reporting tens of thousands of dollars in cancelled bookings.
“It certainly shook us up,” he said, noting that winter break weeks in March in Quebec and Ontario are still to come. “(That’s) where people are really worried.”
Dion encouraged visitors to pivot to other activities in the region, including at the Mont Grand-Fonds ski area, or snowshoeing, snowmobiling, gastronomy, and visiting nearby national parks. “It’s really an opportunity to work together and prevent a disastrous season,” he said.
The closure also affects international partners. Club Med Québec Charlevoix, the chain’s first North American resort, said it will continue operating without skiing or mountain access. Guests are being offered a 50% travel credit per day when the Le Massif remains closed, the option to rebook next winter, or a full refund.
“This situation is entirely independent of our control,” spokesperson Philia Sephora Yatchou said.
Hotels elsewhere in Charlevoix said they were still welcoming visitors. Hugo Germain, co-president of Germain Hotels, a 4-star hotel in Baie-Saint-Paul, wrote in an email the region still offers “a wide range of winter activities,” and that staff are ready to help visitors ”experience the best of Quebec winter.”
Bilodeau said the shutdown underscores the region’s dependence on tourism. “We are currently looking at this as one of our priorities for the coming years: to achieve economic diversity so that we can have a variety of businesses in the Petite-Rivière area.”
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