Mont-Sainte-Anne: a new “historic” agreement between the government and the operator RCR

By confirming the $100M investment in Mont-Sainte-Anne, the government and the operator RCR specified that it was a historic day for the future of the mountain, but doubt still remains in the spirit of businessman Yvon Charest.

The five-year project, worth $100M, will be used, in particular, to install four new ski lifts, modernize the snowmaking system and redo the main chalets.

In addition to receiving $50M in loans from the Quebec government, the RCR company – owned by a wealthy Albertan – will have to invest $50M. The first tranche of 25 million is a forgivable loan, or a forgivable loan. The other tranche is in the form of a loan repaid through a royalty on the station’s revenues.

Despite criticism in recent years, the minister responsible for the Capitale-Nationale region believes that the agreement is “win-win.” He also believes that this agreement, which will remain confidential, will be sufficient to reestablish the bond of trust with customers.

«Entente positive»

“I see the negotiated agreement very positively and we are looking forward. We have a partner who is dedicated, who makes commitments. We looked at other alternatives and there really aren’t any. Those who claim this have not had the same encounters as me,” says Jonatan Julien.

The latter repeated what Pierre Fitzgibbon said in the spring: no question of expropriating RCR du Mont-Sainte-Anne (MSA). Over the years, several investment plans have been presented for Mont-Sainte-Anne.

“It’s a historic day. Five years is a very short time. It’s tomorrow. We are talking about a major transformation,” said Maxime Cretin, vice-president and general manager, Eastern region, of Resorts of the Canadian Rockies (RCR).

In 2021, experts concluded that more than $155M was needed to upgrade the MSA. According to Mr. Cretin, the figure of $100M, three years later, will be sufficient. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here in front of you,” he said.

Under surveillance

The station will also have to undergo safety standards audits with an independent expert report to benefit from forgiveness on part of the loans.

Regarding the surrounding area of ​​the mountain, the agreement will put an end to the legal dispute between Sépaq and RCR regarding the eastern lands. However, it cannot be ruled out that Sépaq will grant management of cross-country skiing to RCR during the 2025-2026 season.

“It’s Sépaq that has it, and it’s up to them to come to an agreement with RCR if they want RCR to operate it,” explained Minister Julien.

The NPO Center plein air Mont-Sainte-Anne, ready to take over, preferred not to comment.

Ultimately, the ski resort expects an increase in traffic of nearly 280,000 visitors following the facility modernization work.

Insufficient

Present during the announcement, Yvon Charest, president of the Friends of Mont-Sainte-Anne, broke down several arguments linked to this new agreement. The sustainability of the mountain remains uncertain.

“The level of trust in RCR is incredibly low. Culture change at RCR cannot be achieved simply with them. It’s going to take help from the government. The only way to satisfy subscribers is to have a monitoring committee or to make the agreement public. I don’t understand how they’re going to be able to do all that with $100M. In my opinion, it takes double if you want to do that with new equipment,” added Mr. Charest.

On the basis of security, the dissipation of heritage and in the general interest, Mr. Charest believes that expropriation was possible in a state of law.

“We looked for partners and Christian Mars’ business plan was famous. There was an alternative,” he finished.

Regarding the Canada Games in March 2027, RCR affirmed that they could hold the planned competitions with the current infrastructure if new lifts are not yet installed in a little over two years.

For approximately 20 years, RCR has already announced three ambitious investment plans, in 2003, 2008 and 2011.