Achi news desk-
It is considered one of the crown jewels of the Cape Breton Highlands, but now the Keltic Lodge – or at least, a large part of it – is closed indefinitely.
GolfNorth, the company that has run the Ingonish, NSm resort in conjunction with Parks Canada in recent years, said in a news release Wednesday that it has decided to close the main lodge and several cottages at the iconic property because the buildings have which ages significant structural problems.
Victoria County Deputy Warden Larry Dauphinee said on Thursday that the Keltic is a vital part of the community, and it should not have come to this.
“Kind of shocked, disappointed, disgusted,” Dauphinee said of his reaction to the news of the closure. What it would have cost to fix nine or 10 years ago before they took over, it’s probably quadrupled since then. “
Terry Smith, head of Destination Cape Breton, said that while the loss of several dozen rooms would have a short-term impact, the hope in the bigger picture is that the Keltic Lodge will be restored.
“You know, it’s a very sad day,” said Terry Smith.
GolfNorth told CTV News Atlantic on Thursday that this is not the end of an era at Keltic Lodge regarding the matter.
Regional vice president Doug Breen said that while it would cost tens of millions of dollars to bring the buildings up to code, he sees the closing as “short-term pain, long-term gain. “
He noted that nothing is off the table in terms of what to do with the site, but noted that there are no concrete proposals yet either.
“This is a good news story in the end,” Breen said. “I want to say that we have a plan, although we don’t know exactly what that plan is. But we have a plan to make this something we can all be proud of in the end.”
While about half of the resort’s rooms remain open as usual, Dauphinee worries that those closed will create an accommodation crunch this summer.
“They (visitors) are going to be traveling through, they’re not going to find a place to stay,” he said.
GolfNorth said the plan is to work with Parks Canada and local stakeholders on a new vision for the entire peninsula.
Keltic Lodge has been one of Cape Breton’s most popular tourist destinations for decades. The main lodge opened in 1951.
