The Mont-Sainte-Anne ski resort (MSA) has obtained the green light from the Régie du bâtiment du Québec (RBQ) to put the Shooting Star (Étoile filante) lift back into service four months after a gondola fell.

The reopening is scheduled for Saturday morning, the operator said.

The RBQ announced Friday that it is lifting its order to stop the lifts at the resort, which is operated by Alberta-based Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. MSA has met the various conditions set out in the Dec. 16 order.

These included a safety certificate signed by an engineer and the verification of moving parts on all attachments for detachable aerial lifts.

The RBQ also required a training plan for the personnel and an expert report explaining the malfunction of the equipment on the Shooting Star lift. The recommendations were also to apply to other detachable aerial lifts.

"We have closely monitored all the work carried out by the MSA over the past few months, leading to the lifting of the order today," said RBQ president and CEO Michel Beaudoin in a statement. "In addition, in January, we required the implementation of a double verification procedure for all MSA aerial lifts, allowing for a more precise control to ensure that the installations are safe."

In January, the RBQ partially lifted the order by authorizing the return to service of the Express du Sud, Express du Nord, Panorama Express and Tortue lifts.

The order stemmed from an incident that occurred on Dec. 10 on the Shooting Star lift. Just before the resort opened, a gondola crashed to the ground. No passengers were on board, and no one was injured.

In an update on its website on Friday, Mont-Sainte-Anne's management said it was pleased to have obtained all the safety approvals to allow the Shooting Star to resume operations on Saturday morning "for the last few miles of the season."

"Over the past few weeks, we have been working closely with experts to conduct a thorough analysis of the lift and all of our operating practices and procedures to ensure a safe return of the gondola," said Maxime Cretin, Vice President and General Manager of the Eastern Region at Resorts of the Canadian Rockies. "At the same time, we have also put in place additional control procedures with the participation of all our operations teams to go beyond regulatory requirements."

The Mont-Sainte-Anne station is located in the town of Beaupré, about 40 kilometres east of Quebec City.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on April 8, 2023.