The Village Vacances Valcartier Group released today a progress report on the construction of its Calypso theme waterpark, located between Ottawa and Montreal.

Calypso is the outcome of an investment of more than $45 million, including $2 million from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. When completed, it will be one of the largest tourist projects in Canada. With an official opening scheduled for June 7, 2010, the park's multicolour slides, rides and theme pavilions have already taken shape at the site.

In Montreal today to assess the state of the work, Village Vacances Valcartier Group President and CEO Guy Drouin, the project's promoter, said he was excited about its progress. "I am very proud to announce that the official opening of the largest theme waterpark in Canada will take place on June 7 next year. You can see the enormous 100-acre worksite from Highway 417, near the Limoges exit. Constructing a completely new park allows us to offer the latest state-of-the-art technology and draw on all our experience to build a waterpark that will satisfy the tastes and needs of families and young adults from the day it opens."

Construction began over 20 months ago and is now 80% complete. The major attractions, such as Fast Track, with its eight racing slides, and Boomerango, with its giant slides recreating a whitewater river, were finished several weeks ago, as were some of the others.

The enormous 50,000-square-foot wave pool, as big as three NHL rinks, is finished. The building and equipment are in place, and artists are now at work creating the theme magic and transforming the entire park into a fantasy world. The structures of the restaurants, shops, locker rooms and service pavilions are also finished.

All the slide complexes are finished with the exception of Zoo Lagoon, an attraction designed especially for toddlers, which will be built over the coming weeks. Several teams are busy with the finishing work on the banks of the Jungle Run river, the earthworks around the water slides and throughout the park.

The human resources team is also very busy and several pre-hiring sessions have already taken place. During the peek season, Calypso will employ more than 500 people, including 125 lifeguards.

Located in the municipality of The Nation, in the United Counties of Prescott and Russell, the project will generate $750 million over a 10-year period in spin-offs for the entire National Capital and eastern Ontario regions.

Village Vacances Valcartier Group

In 1963, the Village Vacances Valcartier Group created Valcartier Vacation Village, one of North America's most popular tourist destinations. It offers a myriad of activities designed to please a constantly growing family clientele. Today, with more than 50 permanent employees, 500 summer jobs, a $50-million investment and over 10 million visitors, Valcartier Vacation Village is one of the major economic engines of Quebec's tourism industry.

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