Canmore gondola project clears regulatory pathway after provincial designation

Alberta's government designated the Lady Macdonald All-Season Resort Area on Monday, creating what a provincial official called a "clear regulatory pathway" for Stone Creek Resorts to apply for a gondola project in Canmore.

The Silvertip gondola would run from the Palliser area in Canmore along the Trans-Canada Highway to Silvertip resort, then to Mount Lady Macdonald. The project footprint is roughly 15 hectares and spans Bow Valley Wildland Provincial Park and parts of Canmore and the Municipal District of Bighorn. The designation amends both the South Saskatchewan Regional Plan and the park's status.

Shauna Dudding, president and COO of Stone Creek Resorts, said the company is finalizing its master development plan and expects to file an application "very shortly." Once submitted, the government must decide within 150 days. Another public engagement period would launch after application.

Rob Simieritsch, executive director of Alberta's all-season resorts branch, said the designation creates the pathway needed to move forward. Stone Creek has spent the past decade developing studies on the gondola, including transportation, wildlife impacts, habitat connectivity, and Indigenous engagement.

The gondola would feature three stations and multiple viewing platforms on Mount Lady Macdonald, plus a day lodge. Stone Creek estimated 250,000 to 300,000 people would use the gondola annually.

The designation is part of Alberta's broader push to expand year-round tourism, aiming to hit $25 billion in annual revenue by 2035. Fortress Mountain, Nakiska, and Castle Mountain were designated as all-season resorts last year, with Fortress Mountain receiving conditional approval in June.