Article content“What we’ve done is we solidified the building, and we went back to Parks Canada, which is essentially our landlord, and saying, ‘Hey, this building is in really, really bad shape,’” Breen told the Post. “Parks Canada then started looking at their options — which has brought us to where we are now.Article content“One of the big problems is that if they’ve got a piece of property leased to somebody else, Parks Canada can’t spend any money on it. So we’re in this catch-22 situation in which they can’t spend any money on a building that they own because it’s leased to use, and we weren’t going to spend an exorbitant money on it, because we could never see any return on investment.”Article content Ceilidh Hall, left, and Corson House on site at the Keltic Lodge in Ingonish Beach. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle content‘DOING NOTHING IS NOT AN OPTION’Article contentOther facilities on-site remained open to visitors — including the Cape Breton Highlands Links golf course, Corson House and Courtyard Suites, Ceilidh Hall, the Spa and the Arduaine Restaurant.Article contentArticle contentAs Breen told council, the 18-hole Highland Links golf course remains in great condition, the 50 rooms available away from the main building site were renovated back in 2016, and its food and beverage service has been consolidated and expanded.Article content“Our operating budget isn’t too bad,” Breen said, “but our capital budget is just burying us.”Article contentHowever, Breen said he is also aware of a growing public perception that nothing is being done to bring the main lodge back to operation.Article content“That’s not actually true,” he told council. “But (optics-wise) it looks like we’re doing nothing. And doing nothing is not an option.”Article contentInstantly recognizable with its white vinyl siding, red roof and red chimney stacks, the main Keltic Lodge building has served as a major tourist draw, not to mention a source of employment for several months out of every year.Article contentFor golf enthusiasts, the lodge serves as the obvious place to stay given its proximity to the Cape Breton Highlands Links, which Golf Digest has ranked as one of the world’s greatest 100 golf courses.Article contentArticle content‘PROVEN TO BE A CHALLENGE’Article contentBut beneath the main building’s iconic image, the aging main lodge and cottages have “proven to be a challenge” to get renovated, GolfNorth noted in 2024.Article contentIn October 2023, media reports surfaced of a temporary foreign worker employed at the lodge claiming of unhealthy conditions — such as mould inside the staff residence and bugs discovered in the food — that caused him to become sick.Article contentThat, in turn, prompted the province’s Labour, Skills and Immigration department to issue an order to complete a health and safety program by Oct. 20 of that year and issued a warning to put a joint occupational health and safety committee in place, according to reports on CBC.Article contentBreen and Mackenzie also told council that the road leading into the main lodge building, cottages and Middle Head walking trail has been facing erosion issues over the years.
Operators of Cape Breton’s Keltic Lodge suggest Parks Canada take over abandoned main lodge property
