PM 'low-key,' 'respectful': B.C. ski resort addresses 'misinformation' over Trudeau vacation
CBC
The B.C. ski resort where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holidayed with his family after Christmas says it was "disappointing" to see what it describes as misinformation about the vacation shared widely on social media.
In a brief email to CBC News, a representative for RED Mountain Resort said allegations started spreading prior to Trudeau's arrival and once he did arrive he "was very low-key, respectful, and waited in line like everyone else."
The prime minister and his family hit the slopes at the resort on Dec. 27, which is a 3½-hour drive from Kelowna near the picturesque mountain town of Rossland in B.C.'s West Kootenay region.
More than a day before a post to a regional Facebook group claimed "a big shot" and his security detail had been cutting into line and otherwise behaving badly at RED Mountain Resort and in Rossland during their trip.
The post, first noticed by moderators on Christmas day, ignited a flood of responses against Trudeau but was in sharp contrast to the experience reported by the resort and other skiers — including the man who acted as Trudeau's guide on the mountain.
Sean Smillie, from Rossland and a long-time friend of Justin Trudeau, invited the PM and his family to ski for a week out of the town. He said he was angered by the post.
"What really disturbs me the most about this is the fabrication," said Smillie about the discrepancy between what actually happened on the mountain and what was discussed online.
Smillie, who met Trudeau in Whistler, B.C., in the 1990s, said he began snowboarding with Trudeau and his children at RED Mountain Resort on Dec. 27 and did so daily until the prime minister flew out of Kelowna on Jan. 2.
"I was with Justin and his family every second of their time on the mountain," he told CBC News. "The entire family stood in line, as did his security detail. We didn't budge. We waited. There weren't really huge lineups and really no crowds over Christmas."
Other skiers at the resort CBC News spoke to said the same, as did a small minority online in response to the posts.
Rossland Mayor Andy Morel said generally Trudeau was either greeted warmly or just left alone.
"It's folks that can hide behind their alias names or their names on social media," he said. "But in reality, when people meet face-to-face ... those people usually back away quickly."
Rossland is in the federal political riding of South Okanagan — West Kootenay, where the Liberal Party of Canada has routinely finished third in federal elections behind NDP and Conservative candidates.
Rumours began circulating on social media about Trudeau taking a winter holiday in Western Canada as early as Dec. 17.
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