The claim filed in the Supreme Court of BC. on Monday said the motion-activated alarm was installed in early 2020, months after the wires were first cut in the summer of 2019. The enhanced system was supposed to prevent history from repeating itself. Within the year, history was made anyway. “The alarm was not activated at any point until or during [the 2020] security breach,” the lawsuit read. “As a result of the security breach and alarm failure, the vandal was able to cut the cable which was catastrophically severed.” The company’s claims have not been proven, and the security company, Unified Systems (USI), has not filed a response to the claim in court.
The alarm had no effect on the night in question, the claim says
The gondola company said it hired USI to design a new safety system in January 2020, five months after the first cable-cutting incident last August. “Sea to Sky… made that clear [the firm] that security was paramount to ensure that such an event does not recur,” the claim said. USI said it would install a “state-of-the-art, custom-built” security system that would operate around the clock, according to the lawsuit. If activated, the lawsuit said, the alarm was supposed to activate bright lights and a PA system warning intruders they were on camera and police had been notified. WATCHES | Footage shows security guard avoiding being hit by gondola cars in 2020:
The falling gondola cars lose their guard a bit
A security video shows a security guard holding a flashlight and avoiding being hit by falling gondola cars on September 14, 2020. The system was installed in February 2020. That September, someone climbed one of the gondola’s towers, climbed its ladder and cut the cable again. The lawsuit claimed the alarm failed because it wasn’t getting enough — or any — power at the time. He claimed that USI has more details about what went wrong, but that they would only be provided to the court “on a confidential basis” if the case goes to trial. The company previously said the damage from both incidents cost more than $10 million. The lawsuit seeks damages for breach of contract and negligence.
No arrests were made
Both crimes remain unsolved. At a news conference on the two-year anniversary of the second incident on Wednesday, the RCMP released a profile and thermal image of the suspect in one or both cases. Investigators believe the suspect would have been “extremely fit” and intimately familiar with the surrounding area and the tools one would need to cut such a cable and escape unharmed. Police are considering criminal charges for disorderly conduct and disorderly conduct endangering a life after a security guard was nearly killed by falling gondola cars in 2020. WATCHES | e.g. RCMP Sgt. Chris Manseau gives information on the suspect:
RCMP profiles suspected gondola vandal
e.g. RCMP Sgt. Chris Manseau says the person who cut the Sea to Sky Gondola cable is in good physical shape and knows the area well. The attraction attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors each year, taking passengers up a steep mountain ridge near Stawamus Chief for panoramic views of Howe Sound. It’s also a major player in the $95 million local tourism sector, according to Tourism Squamish. The company is offering a $500,000 reward for anyone with information leading to an arrest and conviction. It has since hired an in-house security team.
