The minimum wage hike and cost of hydro are affecting ski hills in the region.
Chief Operating Officer of Calabogie Peaks, Jim Hemlin, tells us that the minimum wage hike is why you’ll see your ski ticket prices lift all over the region. He says 7 of the regions closest ski hills have brought their prices up 10-15%.
He also told us that they had to adjust to stay alive. He says that the wage hike is making it unfair for everyone as companies see a snowball effect where they have to charge more because products are costing them more.
The cost of electricity is also another reason skiers will see a slight increase on their ski bill. Hemlin says hydro has doubled in the last two years going from $270 000 a year to $520 000. Unfortunately, like Hemlin adds, when it comes to recreational activities, when on a budget, families tend to abandon activities like skiing. He says they had to make a few hard choices but they had no choice if they wanted to keep on providing a quality product.