Ontario water park accused of safety violations, could face $20M in fines

OTTAWA – An Ottawa-area water park is facing 20 charges under Ontario’s Technical Standards and Safety Act that carry maximum fines of $1 million per charge.

The Technical Standards and Safety Authority says it filed charges Tuesday against Calypso Theme Waterpark after conducting a year-long investigation.

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Calypso, in Limoges, Ont., east of Ottawa, bills itself as Canada’s biggest theme waterpark.

TSSA spokesman Wilson Lee says the charges revolve around several incidents on three slides that occurred in 2011 and 2012, though he wouldn’t go into detail about the incidents or any injuries.

Calypso owner Guy Drouin issued a statement saying the park is strongly committed to the safety of its visitors and has always worked to ensure best practices are applied.

The theme park’s lawyer Lawrence Greenspon calls the charges a “surprising abuse of power.”