Waterpark plans for Ramsey Lake beached for the moment
Plans for a water park on Ramsey Lake in Sudbury have been beached for the moment due to contractual problems.
An official with Moonlight Water Sports said he dealt with a lot of red tape, but now the city won't give them a contract.
Kyle Walton said plans for the park have been coming together for the last five years. It's why he was shocked when the city pulled the plug.
"My initial reaction was to the news was disappointment for all the work we've done," Walton said.
"I just can't see why at this point they'd continue with the cancellation knowing that we had everything in place to open."
Walton said they hired 16 staff, registered with WSIB, had insurance in place and financing for all of the equipment, which the city, he said, knew by May 9.
But he said he was told he hadn't met his contractual obligations and he would not be getting permission to proceed.
"There was definitely a lot of red tape and decisions being made on the fly, is what it seemed like, they would just come out with new dates and things when the original RFP doesn't have any dates listed to have these accomplishments made," he said.
No one was available to speak with CTV News at the city, but we did receive a statement saying, in part:
"As part of any contract execution, there are important legal, financial and insurance requirements that ensure the protection of residents and of the municipality. Moonlight Watersports was unable to satisfy critical requirements for the operation of an inflatable waterpark at Bell Park."
Ramsey Lake is split between two wards, Ward 10 Coun. Fern Cormier was unreachable. Ward 11's Bill Leduc said he has full faith in staff's decision.
Leduc said rules are in place to protect not only entrepreneurs, but also the city and its taxpayers.
"Our staff worked with Moonlight Water Sports since November 2021, moving forward right up to the first week of May and at that point in time we just saw that he wasn't able to meet his obligations in the procurement process," he said.
Walton said he believes he's been slighted. He fears the city will turn around and given it to another company, without having to go through the RFP process and having to jump through the same hoops.
Moonlight has put up a post on its Facebook page and is in the process of refunding advance ticket sales.
While Walton is hopeful the city will change its mind, he's not holding his breath. He's also been approached about moving to other Northern communities.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada to upgrade Latvia battlegroup to a brigade, boost number of troops
Canada has signed an agreement to upgrade the 2,000-soldier battlegroup it leads in Latvia to a brigade, boosting the number of troops and pledging to lead it for at least the next five years.

Mother forced to spend night sleeping on Toronto Pearson floor because of Air Canada delays
A mother of three children is speaking out after spending a night on the floor of Toronto Pearson Airport with her young kids in a nightmare weekend of travel.
Ontario researchers say they've found what causes long-COVID symptoms
Through the use of MRI technology and spearheaded by researchers at Western University, the cause of long COVID symptoms have been identified for the first time.
DEVELOPING | Opioid manufacturer agrees to $150M settlement after class-action lawsuit led by B.C. asks for $60B
British Columbia says a proposed $150-million settlement with Purdue Pharma Canada has been reached for the recovery of health-care costs related to the sale and marketing of opioid-based pain medicines.
NEW | 2 officers undergo surgery, third in hospital after deadly Saanich bank shooting
Police in Saanich, B.C., kept an area near a bank evacuated overnight as they continue to investigate a possible explosive device linked to a deadly gunfight with two suspected bank robbers.
More than half of flights at some Canadian airports getting cancelled, delayed: data
Recent data shows more than half of all flights from some of Canada's major airports are being cancelled or delayed, as frustrations for travellers mount due in part to increased summer travel and not enough airport staff.
Canadians who want a Nexus card will have to travel to U.S. to get it
A Nexus card is supposed to help put low-risk Canadians on the fast track when crossing the U.S. border, but at least 330,000 Canadians aren’t sure when their applications will be processed.
NATO calls Russia its 'most significant and direct threat'
NATO declared Russia the 'most significant and direct threat' to its members' peace and security on Wednesday and vowed to strengthen support for Ukraine, even as that country's leader chided the alliance for not doing more to help it defeat Moscow.
'Crisis level': N.L. faces shortage of psychologists as they leave public system
Access to mental health services is taking a hit in Newfoundland and Labrador as psychologists in the province continue to leave the public system en masse.