Manitoba welcomes first floating water park

The summer season in Manitoba just got a whole lot more exciting for swimmers looking to cool off.

Discover Minnedosa posted online that Minnedosa Beach will be welcoming Manitoba’s first-ever floating inflatable water park this summer.

Minnedosa Beach sits roughly two-and-a-half hours west of Winnipeg.

The 100-person floating water park plans to open on Lake Minnedosa in late June.

“These parks are found in Canada and across the world, but there is none in the Prairies at this time,” Gerry Champagne, owner of Calgary’s Splish Splash Water Park said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "These parks are found in Canada and across the world, but there is none in the Prairies at this time," Gerry Champagne, own<span class="text_exposed_show">er of Calgary's Splish Splash Water Park said.</span>

The Calgary business owner approached Travel Manitoba as he searched for a suitable community for his water parks.

Chantelle Parrott, Minnedosa’s Economic Development Officer, said when the idea was presented to her, she jumped on the opportunity.

“This leverages the lake and really complements our existing tourism offering,” Chantelle said.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This leverages the lake and really complements our existing tourism offering," Chantelle said.

Manitoba Infrastructure and Transportation gave the final green light to the project to be placed in the water in June 2019.

As for using the water park, Champagne says it will be open daily during the summer, with users wearing mandatory life jackets and lifeguards overseeing swimmers.

The custom-built water park will be shipped in from the United Kingdom in time for the 2019 summer season.