Quebec's own Disney? Massive water park, complex aiming to turn Mirabel into tourist hub

Developer Ray Junior Courtemanche would one day like to be considered the Walt Disney of Quebec.

"It's my dream," Courtemanche said, standing next to the empty lot in Mirabel, Que., where he will soon break ground on an indoor water park that promises to be one of the largest in Canada.

The project, called Morea, which was given the green light in March by the suburb of Mirabel, north of Montreal, will feature more than 20 attractions, including slides, a lazy river, spas and a surfing wave pool — over 150,000 square feet of entertainment space.

"I want everyone to come here and make great memories. This is why I want to build this," Courtemanche said.

On top of the water park, the development will also include a convention centre, two hotels with a total of 547 rooms, a 1,500 seat performance hall and a multi-level parking garage with a capacity of 1,350 vehicles.

The park is being paid for through private investments, and Courtemanche says he expects it to cost between $175 to $200 million to build.

He says it will also include a state-of-the-art water recycling system that is inspired by similar systems used in water-starved tourist destinations like Las Vegas and Dubai.

Marketing director for Investissement Ray Junior and Courtemanche's daughter, Chloé Courtemanche, says the park aims to redefine the tourism landscape in Quebec by providing people with a premium destination between Montreal and Mont-Tremblant.

"We don't have any competitors actually because we will be completely different [than other water parks] because we have the convention centre and the two hotels," she said.

The Morea Water Park will be situated inside a development called Cité Mirabel. Since 2012, Ray Junior Courtemanche has been working with the city to develop the area, and they've been busy.

There are already 3,500 newly constructed condos, 1,000 detached homes, dozens of restaurants and outlet shopping.

Mirabel Mayor Partick Charbonneau says the vision for the area is based around high density living with access to services for residents, all within a short distance. He says the growing neighbourhood is ideal for people who work nearby or wish to commute to Montreal. It also seems to be attracting retirees who are looking to downsize and soon, hopefully, tourists.

Charbonneau says Mirabel used to be considered another sleepy suburb but that in the last 15 years, it has "become a small town that's competing in the big leagues."

The water park is part of the city's continued push to become a tourist destination that aims to attract people who want to stay in a place that is entertaining as well as visit both Montreal and Mont-Tremblant. Charbonneau added that the area's farm-to-table restaurants and sugar shacks are already growing a solid reputation that attract visitors.