The owner of a lazy river tubing business in Buckhorn, Ont., says demands by a provincial park have sunk his business.
In June, Derek Robertson launched Kawartha Tubing — an attraction on the Mississauga River in Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park, about 40 kilometres north of Peterborough.
The business became an overnight hit with tourists with up to 200 bookings daily for the 45-minute float on the river.
“It’s just become something that’s blossomed — people love water, people love the Kawarthas,” said Robertson. “They come here to enjoy nature. This is the southern tip of the Canadian Shield; people want to see it.”
The park gave Robertson permission and monitored the activity. They say the tubing popularity has inflated traffic and congestion in the parking lot and along County Road 36, posing a number of safety risks.
Earlier this month Robertson agreed with park officials to reduce the number of tubes on the river from 24 to 12 every half hour.
“The numbers don’t make any sense and they’re going to force us out of business,” Robertson said.
But in a letter on Friday, park Supt. Paul Smith further demanded that the number be restricted to six – also citing possible harm to the park’s natural features.
“We’re committed to balancing the recreational experiences with the protection of the park’s natural environment in a safe way and in a safe manner,” said Smith.
“They’re floating down a lazy river, walking back on a granite rock – I honestly don’t think it’s hurting the environment,” Robertson said.
But Robertson says Kawartha Tubing will be sunk by the park’s other new demands that must be in place by Friday. Most notably, he must have at least two more staff at the exit and entry points on the river and also offer alternate parking or off-site transportation. The park also asked that all users wear a life-jacket. Currently, users under 12 must wear one.
Robertson said he can’t afford those sudden changes and Monday was likely the last day of operations for Kawartha Tubing.
“The numbers don’t make any sense and they’re going to force us out of business,” he said.
Robertson said he has been met with skepticism from park officials and some area residents since he started the business. Some residents launched an online petition calling for an end to the attraction.
Robertson also said Smith rejected an offer of revenue sharing as a partial compromise.
“Kayak renters and canoe renters in other parks that do this, the park gets a piece of their rental agreement,” he said. “I’d agree to do that but he said we didn’t have enough time to that nor was he interested in doing that.”
Robertson says the local economy will also take a hit if his business goes under. He’s already refunding more than $30,000 in bookings for August alone.
“We are helping to stimulate that economy,” he said. “We employ eight people and it’s going to be shut down tomorrow … I put a lot of work and effort into this … it’s pretty sad.”
Late Monday night Robertson posted on Facebook “Effective immediately we can no longer rent tubes.”