Canada’s largest waterpark has been fined a record-breaking CA$400,000 (US$307,000, €278,500, £197,000) after an Ontario judge found the visitor attraction guilty of six safety-related charges pertaining to a number of incidents that took place in 2011.
Ontario Justice of the Peace Julie Lauzon fined Calypso Waterpark, located just outside of Ottawa, CA$400,000 for safety violations in the summers of 2011 and 2012, which left visitors seriously injured. In addition to the fine, the judge ruled that CA$100,000 (US$76,800, €69,600, £49,300) must also be paid in the form of a 25 per cent victim surcharge.
The waterpark
had been found guilty in April of six violations of Canada’s Technical Standards and Safety Act, four of which were connected to Calypso Park’s Steamer ride – which recorded 10 separate incidents during the year.
The combined CA$500,000 figure is the highest penalty ever handed down under the safety act.
“Ultimately what we are talking about here is the safety of the public. We are talking about children; we are talking about parents,” said Technical Standards and Safety Authority (TSSA) spokesperson Wilson Lee. “Any amusement park operator is going to think twice and very carefully about disobeying Ontario’s safety laws given the size of the penalty.”
Incidents that led to the ruling included visitor Marek Strelec left unconscious and in hospital for three days after an accident on the park’s Bobsleigh, while Sophie St. Jacques suffering a broken vertebra as a result of an accident on the Steamer. The judge said that both incidents could have been easily avoided had staff had proper training.
“The training for all staff at the beginning of each summer has been increased and improved,” said Calypso’s lawyer, Lawrence Greenspon. “It has come an awful long way since 2011 and that’s why these kinds of incidents haven’t reoccurred since then.”
The park, built by Village Vacances Valcartier, offers 35 slides and can accommodate 12,000 visitors daily. In a statement, Calypso said it will continue to take steps to increase the park’s safety.
