World-class water park sooner, or later?

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Greg Southam / Postmedia News Archives Surfer at West Edmonton Mall water park, which is four times the size of one proposed for The Forks. (CNS)

What do Winnipeggers want their city to be? Are they willing to put in the time and effort required to become an appealing destination for potential tourists, or are they content with a more insular focus in development?

These are pertinent questions as city councilors debate whether to allow the construction of a water park (and hotel) on a prime piece of land near The Forks.

The reality is that Winnipeg likely gets one shot at building this type of aquatic amenity, and the design on the table will, at best, make for a "local" attraction.

At 50,000 square feet, the proposed indoor water park will not even crack the list of the 30 largest in North America. It will be comparable to facilities such as North Dakota's 40,000-square foot, four-slide Splasher's of the South Seas, not Edmonton's 217,000-square foot, 23-slide World Waterpark or Niagara Falls' 125,000-square foot, 16-slide Fallsview Indoor Waterpark -- the two biggest in Canada.

Since at least 2005, the dream has been to open a world-class indoor water park in Winnipeg, but thus far there has been little interest from the development community.

As such, a number of people argue the current proposal should go through, as it is "a bird in the hand" that guarantees Winnipeggers will be able to enjoy riding the slides in the near future.

Yet, while this position might have been pragmatic and appropriate just a few years ago, it may prove shortsighted today.

The fact is, we are in the middle of the most significant decade of transformation our city has seen in generations.

By 2018, Winnipeg will be home to an NHL team, the world's first human rights museum, a unique polar bear exhibit, an expanded convention centre, and a number of other major attractions.

If the projections are correct, these facilities will draw hundreds of thousands of visitors to Manitoba's capital every year.

This influx of tourists will change the dynamics of Winnipeg. Conventioneers, hockey fans, human rights conference participants, and others will be looking for unique and exciting activities to do while they are in town.

A first-class water park could be hugely popular with people searching for indoor fun during our (usually) long and cold winters.

Is it not worth waiting a few years to see whether this pool of potential new patrons will convince a developer to capitalize on -- and further boost -- our image as an enticing tourist destination by building one of Canada's largest water parks here?

City councillors are understandably eager to provide their constituents with a water park as soon as possible, but allowing entrepreneurs to gauge the success of all the major projects currently under construction across the city may provide the incentive they need to design a bigger and better water park down the road.

Aside from offering a more exciting attraction for locals, the bigger facility could positively impact the economy by increasing the number of tourists we receive.

Moreover, instead of having a small structure built at The Forks, which is already one of the most successful areas of the city, a larger and more impressive water park and hotel complex could become the anchor project that spurs a development boom in another part of town entirely.

Winnipeggers have often been afflicted with an inferiority complex, and may doubt we can support a world-class aquatic park.

It is therefore worth noting that with the exception of Edmonton, all five North American cities with indoor water parks of 100,000-plus square feet are significantly smaller than Winnipeg. These municipalities have become known for their excellent tourist attractions, and reap the resulting benefits.

Today more than ever, Winnipeg has the potential to do the same. City council should no longer simply accept mediocre development for the sake of having development, but recognize that, sometimes, it is worthwhile to wait a few years to see if one great project can beget the next. It will take patience, planning, and the willingness to come up with a solid vision of what Winnipeg should be, but such a mature approach to growth could turn the city into a far more engaging and exciting place for citizens and visitors alike.

Benjamin Gillies is a political economy graduate from the University of Manitoba, where he focused on urban development and energy policy.

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition April 19, 2012 A14