Quebec Gondola Crash Probe Continues; Victim Identified as Canadian Soldier

People walk at Mont Tremblant Resort in Mont-Tremblant, Que., on July 16, 2023. The Canadian Press/Justin Tang

The Canadian Armed Forces confirmed today that the man who died in a fatal gondola crash Sunday at the Mont-Tremblant resort was a military member.

Fifty-year-old Sheldon Johnson of Kingston, Ont., was a member of the 5th Canadian Division and had served for 20 years, the military confirmed in a statement offering condolences to Johnson’s colleagues, family and friends.

Provincial police and other authorities were back at the resort about 105 kilometres northwest of Montreal today scouring the mountainside site of the crash that also left Johnson’s partner in critical condition.

The pair were thrown from the sightseeing gondola when it was struck by the mast of a drill rig that was being moved underneath.

The president of the company that owns the construction equipment offered condolences to the victims of the crash in a statement on Monday night.

Maxime Patry of Forage M2P, said the construction equipment was being moved along a route prescribed by the resort owner, adding that the employee involved was taken to hospital to be treated for shock.

The company said the crash was the result of either human error, miscommunication or mechanical failure, but it is too early to pinpoint a cause.

A spokeswoman for the Station Mont Tremblant resort said in an email it would not comment further because of the ongoing investigations.