Le Massif de Charlevoix shuts down because of strike, leaves tourists disappointed

Tourists looking to head to the ski slopes northeast of Quebec City were left disappointed after a resort along the St. Lawrence River suspended operations when its unionized workforce walked off the job.

The strike, which started Friday, has left Le Massif de Charlevoix, one of the province’s most renowned winter playgrounds, closed indefinitely.

Le Massif de Charlevoix’s social media pages were flooded with reactions and questions following the strike announcement. Given the busy time of year, many tourists had booked their stays well in advance. 

“I’ve never seen Le Massif as crowded as this, so this hurts the whole region,” said Sabrina Paquet, who owns property in Charlevoix, in a phone interview.

But she is also feeling the effect personally. 

“We just bought our season tickets, which cost $5,000 for two people. It stings a little,” Paquet said. 

The last-minute closure left some with little time to change plans made long ago. 

“My partner and I had planned this trip since October,” said Annie Lévesque, who was heading to Le Massif on Saturday for her first planned ski-day on Sunday. 

“We feel like our trip has been ruined.”

She wasn’t able to cancel the six nights of accommodation and “didn’t want to waste my money.” 

“We’re quite frustrated and angry, because we’ll need to pay for ski tickets elsewhere.”

Antoine Bélair Rivard, from the Beauce region south of Quebec City, said he considers himself luckier than others, having had to drive for only two hours. 

“I’ve heard horror stories of people on the mountain who drove for 10 to 12 hours, then arrived here and found the mountain closed,” he said. 

Le Massif de Charlevoix closed its ski lifts, slopes, tobogganing areas, food services, the gift shop and the workshop at the resort Friday. Club Med Québec-Charlevoix, which operates an all-inclusive hotel at the base of the hills, remained open.

Later Friday, 111 workers voted 95 per cent in favour of an unlimited general strike, according to the union — Syndicat des travailleuses et travailleurs du Massif, affiliated with the CSN. 

Members had initially chosen a 10-day strike mandate, but the union said the resort’s administration had withdrawn from negotiations “on the eve of our strike.”

“The employer made it clear that our 10-day mandate did not concern them. It was therefore obvious to us that a stronger mandate would be necessary to get them back to the negotiating table,” said Annick Simard, president of the union, in a written statement.

The union has said wages are a main sticking point in negotiations, adding that issues around subcontracting, sick leave, safety and vacation time are also important.

In a press release Saturday, Massif de Charlevoix said it had submitted two offers to the union and suggested they had not been presented to the members.

The release said the company didn’t understand why an indefinite strike was launched a few days after the collective agreement expired Dec. 31.

“We are in a normal negotiation period, and the decision to use an indefinite strike at the beginning of the process seems particularly hasty,” said Charles-Antoine Choquette, executive vice-president of Groupe Le Massif.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 3, 2026.