‘We’re trying to keep our heads up’: Whiteshell businesses struggle as campground closures limit traffic

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 07/07/2022 (1217 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Business owners in parts of the Whiteshell Provincial Park hard hit by flooding are holding on to hope traffic will rebound, as some provincial campgrounds remain closed to visitors for at least another three weeks.

White Lake Resort co-owner Stefanie Giasson said traffic at the store and restaurant at her north park-area business has dropped 70 per cent compared to last year, due to flooding and the ongoing closure of the province’s White Lake campground.

“We’re trying to keep our heads up and just provide as many services as we can to the surrounding areas,” Giasson said in a phone interview with the Free Press. “If the campground doesn’t open this summer, we’re already at about a $50,000 loss in revenue just off of traffic in the restaurant and the store.

“It’s going to probably be our worst summer in the eight years we’ve been here.”

On Wednesday, the provincial government pushed the reopening of the White Lake and Otter Falls campgrounds back another three weeks, until at least July 29.

Giasson said she is grateful to see a main road to her resort — Provincial Road 307 — fully reopen, but doubts the through traffic will replace sales from campers who would patronize her business. Now that one boat launch is accessible, Giasson is hoping it may also draw people into the resort.

“We’ve gotten used to, after the last few years, being very careful with our money, so we’re just keeping that up,” Giasson said.

She said provincial parks staff have a lot of work ahead of them to restore the campground. Much of the once-sandy beach has been washed away, roads are in rough shape, and the pump house and washrooms were under water for a period of time.

Giasson suspects labour shortages and supply chain issues are slowing efforts.

“A lot of the clean up and repair are taking a long time because there’s clean up needed everywhere. So, I think that’s thrown a wrench into things, is not having enough man power to be able to fix things and clean them up when they need to, and by the dates that they’re setting,” she said.

“I don’t blame anybody for it,” she added. “It would be nice to see a little bit more work getting done here, as far as the clean up and repairs go.”

About 35 kilometres northwest, at Otter Falls Resort, owner Amy Vereb said she is doubtful the nearby provincial campground will open for peak season.

“The campground closure is a huge hit for us,” Vereb said. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done in there. There’s still water all over the lakefront sites, everything has to be inspected from electrical, to water, to the sewage.

“They can’t get in there yet. That could take weeks, if not months, so fingers crossed they open, but my guess is probably not.”

Customers have been stopping in from seasonal campgrounds in the area and the reopening of PR 307 should bring more traffic through Otter Falls, but Vereb said business at her store and take-out window has been slow. Fortunately, cabin bookings have been strong and day-trippers are making a point of visiting, she added.

She wants Manitobans to know the park is opening and while the two campgrounds remain closed, there is still plenty to do in north Whiteshell Provincial Park.

“The water is going down, there are wayside beaches to use, there’s trails open,” Vereb said. “We want people to know things are operational here and they’re welcome to come to the park.”

Vereb also said parks staff appear to be working short handed. “They’re doing the best that they can with the workers that they have.”

The provincial government did not make anyone from Manitoba Parks available for an interview Thursday.

In a statement, a spokesman said the department is evaluating damage caused by flooding in parks, but it is still too soon to provide details about the scope of repairs or cost estimates.

“Work will progress as quickly as possible, with the goal of minimizing any impact to campers or camp reservations,” the spokesman said. “We appreciate the public’s patience at this time and will make every effort to offer comparable bookings in other parks or alternate dates for those affected by cancellations.”

The spokesman said staffing levels remain static compared to last year, and the department is ensuring staff are appropriately deployed across impacted regions.

Opposition environment critic Lisa Naylor said the provincial government needs to prioritize the restoration of damaged infrastructure in provincial parks.

“Families want to spend as much time as possible camping in our provincial parks, but these campgrounds need some maintenance work so they can be safe and clean. That means more investments from the (Progressive Conservatives),” the NDP MLA said.

danielle.dasilva@freepress.mb.ca