A once popular outdoor waterpark in Saskatchewan is set to be torn down following decades of memories ranging from joyful and thrilling to downright ugly.
The province recently signed an executive order to pay a contractor $227,000 to demolish the Kenosee Superslides in Moose Mountain Provincial Park, southeast of Regina.
The attraction at Kenosee Lake, which began operating in 1985, saw families spend their summers zooming down the slides, floating through a moat and picnicking during breaks.
The infrastructure aged over the years, with some patrons later complaining of bruises and scrapes, dirty water and dead frogs. The site closed in 2020, because it no longer met health and safety standards.
The province said in a recent statement that the operator was unable to obtain a licence from the Saskatchewan Health Authority.
"Since operations stopped, the facility has deteriorated and is a significant public safety risk," it said. "The ministry is removing the abandoned building and other assets with demolition set to begin in February 2026. The work is expected to be complete by spring."
The province hired Silverado Demolition Operations of Saskatoon to take it down.
Company manager Adam Sarich said that after a recent inspection, he found the slides to be brittle and cracked. The attraction's main building was also vandalized, with windows smashed and plumbing torn out.
"It looks like it'd be a lot of fun to go down on a crazy carpet, but the structures are very unstable," he said.
Most of the infrastructure is to be recycled, he said, with some parts going to a landfill.
"It's too bad that Saskatchewan just doesn't have maybe the population or our weather doesn't really suit outdoor activities for a long enough period," Sarich said.
"It's one less thing for the public to do and to take our kids to."
Doug Bourgon, who co-owns a campground near the slides, said he's sorry to see them go.
He said they brought lots of businesses to the village, as visitors from Manitoba and the United States would also travel there for the slides.
"It was really important for Kenosee," Bourgon said.
"Growing up as a kid, every year in school they would take us. Once I had children, we would take the kids there. It was a highlight of your year," he said.
While the waterpark had received many positive reviews, patrons complained about safety and cleanliness.
On a TripAdvisor review page, guests wrote that the slides were in desperate need of an overhaul. In 2014, one person described the water as full of debris, dead bugs and bandages, with broken cement walkways creating tripping hazards.
"Please get this park back into shape, because the camping is very good and it's nice to bring the kids there."
Another wrote the same year that frogs were in the moat and dead ones were on the cement, and the slides were just plain dangerous. "Without exception, everyone in our group of 13 who went down the slide with the six-foot drop hurt themselves on landing. There just isn't enough water at that spot to support a good landing."
The former owner, who took over operations in 2019, declined to comment when asked about the demolition.
Social media posts from 2021 show the business was working to address safety issues and repainting the moat, but it was ultimately unable to reopen.
"These past few years have been trying for all; our management team, our staff and especially you our customers," the business said in 2022.
Bourgon said some people were cut on the slides. "That happened even 25 years ago, when they were in good shape."
In 2023, the province sent out an expression of interest to businesses to see if any wanted to redevelop the site.
Once the slides are demolished, the government said it would look at other ways to use the land.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2026.
Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press
