Water park developer Guy Drouin. (Photo by Etienne Ranger)

With two new parks in the works, how much wet and wild fun can the region support?

Another developer has unveiled a grand plan for Ottawa's water park thrill seekers, but with another park closer to the city already set to begin construction in a few months, many are wondering whether the plan has been thought through carefully enough.

"I don't think this market can support more than one new, elaborate facility," said Barry Nabatian of Market Research Corporation in Ottawa. "One of them is going to end up closing."

Last week, Guy Drouin, president and CEO of Le Groupe Village Vacances Valcartier, outlined his plan for a park called SunnyLand that would rank as the largest in Canada and is expected to open in June 2009. The province has already stepped up with a $2-million contribution to the $50-million cost.

"This is a structuring project for all of eastern Ontario. It is obvious that the economic benefits will be significant, along with the visibility that Le Groupe Village Vacances Valcartier will provide for the Prescott-Russell region," said Ken Hill, mayor of the United Counties of Prescott and Russell. "A new cornerstone will be created for a stronger tourism industry."

Mr. Drouin cited his experience at the Valcartier water park in Quebec City, which has been in operation since 1963 and has attracted millions of visitors. However, that park is converted to a snow-slide park in the winter to pull in profits year round. SunnyLand would only operate from June to Labour Day, according to Mr. Drouin. He told the OBJ that the land was too flat to have any kind of a sled or mini ski hill like his Quebec City facility.

A feasibility study states SunnyLand would still draw in $75 million in economic benefits each year for the next 10 years. What was not cited in the study, however, is that ProSlide Technologies of Ottawa, which has run the Mont Cascades water park 20 minutes outside of downtown Ottawa for 15 years, already has plans to build a water park within Ottawa city boundaries along the 416 south of Barrhaven. "Alottawata" is set to begin construction in a few months' time and open by spring 2009. ProSlide has another 40 projects on the go around the world, according to owner Rick Hunter. In fact, the Valcartier facility in Quebec City has used some ProSlide rides.

Numbers show the local market is eager for a water park. Mont Cascades spokesperson Nathalie Tremblay told the OBJ the resort has 100,000 visitors from June to Labour Day for its water park, the same number of people that visit from December to the end of March to ski. But will those numbers be there if there are three parks competing for visitors?

Mr. Nabatian said that the west-end location was more desirable. "The population in the west end is younger and the average household size is larger, which means there are more children. With more children, more money, chances are there is more demand for this kind of activity," he said.

That is exactly what Mr. Hunter was banking on when he decided to get the zoning requirements for Alottawatta.

"I would be very hard pressed to spend money on a second large water park in Ottawa if I wasn't the closer one to the market. Mr. Drouin knew about our plans, but I guess he didn't believe we were going to do it," said Mr. Hunter.

Mr. Hunter agreed Ottawa was a tough market with such short summers. "These facilities are very weather-sensitive and people make the decision to go to water parks at the last minute. That's why a closer location is key. The highest penetration rate is within five miles, at 10 miles you have slightly less ... As long as a water park dominates its market, a water park in Ottawa will do fine even with the risky weather."

Mr. Nabatian said that besides choosing a location far from the city centre, it would also be wrong to make the facility seasonal. "There is demand (for a year-round facility). There are not many activities for families in the fall, winter and spring months. Even if they initially start with only being a summer facility, I think after a few years they will change their plans to make it a year-round park because the market demand is here."

Mr. Hunter said he was undeterred by Valcartier's plans.

"(Mr. Drouin) can go ahead with his plans; that's fine. But we're going to put our biggest rides in this park and we're going to keep updating it as we develop new rides, ones we have won awards for. I wouldn't want to compete with it."

COMPARISON OF THE TWO PLANS

ProSlide's Alottawatta

Location: Off the 416 south of Barrhaven

Price tag: $20 to $30 million over five to 10 years

Rides: Start with 10 rides (including a $2-million Tornado ride)

Size: 100-acre lot of land

Visitors: Up to 5,000 visitors daily

Employment: Up to 120 seasonal jobs

Valcartier's SunnyLand

Location: 35 minutes east of Ottawa in Limoges

Price tag: $50 million over the next 10 years

Facilities: 35 slides, two theme rivers and 600 camp sites

Size: 460 acres

Visitors: up to 12,000 visitors daily

Employment: 35 year-round employees and 500 seasonal jobs