Jason Stanoffsky refuses to let a life-altering injury stop him from enjoying his time at the lake. The Saskatoon business owner opened Jewel of the North, a resort at Emma Lake, thirteen years ago.
Three years after the resort opened its doors, Stanoffsky broke his back in a single vehicle roll-over, losing the use of his legs and major arm function.
“I was hospitalized in Saskatoon for nine months, and my dad, he unfortunately got thrown into the position – he had to step in and run the resort for me,” said Stanoffsky from his fully accessible home in Montgomery Place.
Now, Stanoffsky wants to go back to the business he created. With the help of a friend, Quinten Shaben, he hopes to create the province’s only fully accessible resort.
“It just seemed ridiculous that something that was so important to me, I couldn’t go up and enjoy anymore,” said Stanoffsky. “It got me thinking, there’s a lot of people in my situation.”
“Where do they go when they want to go on a holiday?”
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There are resorts that have accessible features, but being confined to a chair has opened the eyes of Stanoffksy and Shaben to unique difficulties.
“Even simple little things like changes of elevation in your home, one step means nothing to someone with mobility but you take away your legs and all of a sudden, one step is the difference between going in and enjoying your friends and being stuck where you are,” said Stanoffsky.
“Those are the types of scenarios people have to understand,” said Shaben. “It’s a one inch difference that can throw their balance off. If they’re not ready for it, something bad could happen, someone could fall and hurt themselves. We’ve had too close of calls with Jay.”
Of course, with accessibility renovations comes a price. Stanoffsky and Shaben have launched a website with hopes of starting renovations this summer. What does this look like? Custom lifts, zero-inch kick plates, ceramic flooring, and adjustable beds to fit every need.
“You know, someone in a chair, they’re no different than anybody else, they like to get out of their home and go enjoy the summer in Saskatchewan,” said Stanoffsky.
There’s a long way to go to raise the $125,000 needed for the jewel of the north project — at around two months in, the site has raised just under $6,000. But, Stanoffsky’s hoping, with a little help from his friends, the limited mobility community in Saskatchewan will soon have an accessible resort to escape to.
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