After 86 years, Parks Canada has finally pulled the plug and called in the wrecking ball on the Radium Hot Spring Lodge. The multi-story 66-room building sits atop a cliff overlooking the famous hot spring pools owned and operated by Parks Canada.

It has been rumoured for years that Parks Canada wanted the hotel shuttered and removed in the name of sheep habitat preservation. The lodge has been owned most recently by an Alberta businessman based in Wetaskiwin and was originally built by the McIntosh family.

“As the stewards of Canada’s national parks, our first priority is to make sure the natural and cultural treasures we have been entrusted with are protected. We feel that the investments made in restoring Kootenay National Park to date are valuable to all Canadians and will help us realize long-term ecological goals for Kootenay National Park and its contribution to the Columbia Valley,” said Pam Veinotte, park superintendent, in a news release.

Since the terms of the agreement are confidential, one can only wonder what the taxpayers of Canada paid to remove this once thriving business from the Sinclair Canyon.