A popular tourist attraction in southeast Saskatchewan has been closed while it waits for its licence from the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA).
The Kenosee Superslides, which operate out of the Moose Mountain Provincial Park, were slated to open for the season on June 30, but that was pushed back to July 11 鈥� the day that the provincial public health measures were lifted.
But they didn鈥檛 open on July 11, either. Jan Armstrong, who owns and operates the facility alongside his father Harvey, said the closure was due to 鈥渃ircumstances outside of (their) control.鈥�
Doug Dahl, a spokesperson for the SHA, said the authority is focused on the health and safety of users at all swimming pools and water parks. SHA public health inspectors work with operators to ensure they are meeting standards for water quality and safety.
The SHA has received the operational licence application for the Superslides. The application is currently under review.
In an interview with the Observer, Jan Armstong expressed confusion over why the Superslides remain without a licence.
鈥淲e have no idea why the SHA is stalling. In past years, they've given us probationary licences while they review their findings so that we can at least have revenue coming in. And in the last two years, they have chosen not to do that,鈥� Armstrong said.
Armstrong said he had hired third-party experts to come and verify the safety of the Superslides. Armstrong would not give specifics, but said they were working with people from both a Regina-based engineering company and Saskatchewan Polytechnic鈥檚 School of Mining, Energy and Manufacturing.
听鈥淭hey checked ... all the fiberglass in our park of our usable slides foot for foot. Foot for foot, every slide. We spent about three weeks doing it,鈥� Armstrong said. 鈥淭here were a few hiccups but I mean nothing that we haven't been able to fix in the past.鈥�
While there are areas of the Superslides which could be improved upon, Armstrong said these improvements do not fall outside the category of regular maintenance required by a waterpark of any age.
According to Armstrong, the Superslides鈥� inability to open has had a negative impact on not just the business, but on the surrounding community as well.
鈥淵ou have to understand the situation we're in. There's a lot of people in part that depend on the numbers that come to this waterslide park in order to survive the winter. Right? Because 鈥� your average year out here at the park [would] bring in anywhere [from] 50 to 70,000 people a year to a very remote part of the province,鈥� Armstrong said.
Ultimately, Armstrong just hopes to be able to reopen the business so that visitors can once again enjoy the fun of the Kenosee Superslides.
鈥淲e're just trying to inject some joy back into a post-COVID world because the last year and a half everyone's been suffering 鈥� all we want to do is give families something to do in the summertime.鈥�
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People have taken to social media to question the SHA鈥檚 decision and to ask about refunds.
Kenneth Sibbald started a petition on the change.org website, calling on the SHA to allow the slides to reopen. As of Tuesday morning, it had received 2,490 online signatures.
He notes they were very lucky to have the slides open last year, but another year of lost revenue is a big blow for the park.
Sibbald urged people to call and ask the SHA about the holdup.
鈥淟et them know we want our water park getaway to stay open in Saskatchewan. The new owners have dumped a tonne of money into the slides to make them good as new, to make our experiences something to remember,鈥� Sibbald wrote.
Last year the attraction鈥檚 opening date was pushed back due to COVID-19. Then in August, the park was forced to close for nearly a week, after the SHA deemed the facility structurally unsafe for public use. The SHA gave the green light for most of the park to reopen a few days later.听
