Kenosee Superslides set for demolition by provincial government

The provincial government has contracted a Saskatoon company to demolish the abandoned Kenosee Superslides.

A longtime summer staple in southeastern Saskatchewan is being torn down, according to an order in council from the Saskatchewan government.

The provincial government has come to terms with Saskatoon-based Silverado Demolition to demolish the Kenosee Superslides at a cost not exceeding $227,052.

“This project includes demolition of abandoned structures within the existing ‘Kenosee Superslides’ site including the main pool building, mechanical building, various water slides, supporting structures, a pool, lazy river, and an existing stockpile of spare slide components,” a now-closed request for bids on SaskTenders said.

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Once the structures are taken down, open holes left from removal of foundations or pool basins will be backfilled with material from the adjacent hill.

First opened in the summer of 1986, the Superslides have not been open in any capacity since August 2020, when the Saskatchewan Health Authority (SHA) cancelled its operating license.

“The facility no longer met current health and safety standards and closed when they were unable to obtain a license from the Saskatchewan Health Authority,” the Ministry of Parks, Culture and Sport said in a statement Friday.

Attempts to reopen for the summer 2021 season were unsuccessful after SHA inspectors concluded the facility had deficiencies, but specifics were never divulged.

Owners told CTV News in 2021 the SHA expressed concerns about the age of the park’s infrastructure.

After years of sitting unused, the Ministry of Parks Culture and Sport said that “the facility has deteriorated and is a significant public safety risk.”

• This is why the Kenosee Superslides may not reopen this summer

According to numbers provided by ownership in 2020, the park attracted more than 35,000 visitors in what became its final full year of operation in 2019.

The park was hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, the park’s owner saying revenue plummeted around 90 per cent between 2019 and 2020.

Demolition work is set to begin soon and is expected to be complete by spring 2026.

Once complete, the ministry said it will “assess future opportunities for the site to ensure the land is used in a way that benefits park visitors.”

With files from Wayne Mantyka