Next generation water park and event complex planned for Greater Toronto Area

A massive indoor/outdoor water park and event complex is being planned for the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). The $60-million facility is scheduled to begin construction in the spring of 2015 and be fully operational by the fall of 2016.

The 100,000 square-foot attraction will feature a retractable roof, allowing it to operate 365 days a year. The development group behind the project, marbleLIVE, is led by Toronto entrepreneur John Barrack and marblemedia, one of Canada’s leading multiplatform content creators. The water park and event complex will fill a significant void in the GTA’s tourism market – a market that before the opening of the Ripley’s Aquarium last fall, had not seen a new attraction established in over 25 years.

“People in the GTA are hungry for new entertainment experiences,” said John Barrack, managing partner, marbleLIVE. “We’re going to give them a dynamic year-round attraction that’s part-water-park, part-theme-park and all fun, all the time.”

Mark Bishop, Co-CEO marblemedia said, “This attraction will be far from your typical waterpark. We are going to bring our company’s expertise in digital media and storytelling to create a purpose built digital media experience that will be the first attraction of its kind.”

Barrack and Bishop are in discussion with city officials in Mississauga and Toronto about potential sites. They have also been briefing Ontario’s Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport about the boost the attraction will have on the tourism industry in the GTA.

Barrack said, “We now have a short-list of three locations. Our final decision will be based on our intricate design and operational needs, as well as visitor accessibility.”

The all-season, indoor/outdoor water park will bring significant employment opportunities to the GTA during the development stages of its creation. Once fully operational, the attraction will employ 230 full-time personnel and expects to attract over half a million visitors within its first year of operation.

Further details on marbleLIVE, including its final decision on location, design and integration of digital media will be released as they are confirmed. For updates, visit marbleLIVE.com, @marbleLIVETO and Facebook.com/marbleLIVE. Follow our hashtag #GTAWaterpark to join the conversation.