A huge Polynesian-inspired water park planned for Mirabel was supposed to enter construction this summer, but the $200-million project is still waiting on a major piece of the puzzle.
If you haven’t been following along, Mōrea Parc Aquatique is being planned as far more than just a water park. The massive year-round entertainment complex at Cité Mirabel, located 30 minutes from Montreal, is expected to feature more than 20 waterslides and attractions, two hotels, restaurants, shops, a spa, a convention centre and a 1,500-seat theatre.
The project was first announced in 2021 and has faced several delays since then. Most recently, construction had been expected to get underway in summer 2026. With that deadline now passed, some people have started wondering whether Mōrea has been put on pause or if the project’s been scrapped altogether.
According to the people behind the facility, that isn’t exactly what happened. In a recent video addressing questions about the development, promoter Ray Courtemanche said the team has been working hard on the project for months, even without a shovel in the ground yet.
Why aren’t they building it yet?
The answer comes down to financing, particularly for the hotel portion of the project. Courtemanche said the team is still looking for a hotel partner, something outside the developers’ usual wheelhouse. While they already have extensive experience with residential and commercial projects, hotel development runs on different rules, and financial institutions want an experienced hotel investor or operator on board before they’ll commit to financing.
“The hotel industry is another world,” Courtemanche said. “At the financing level, it’s also another world that we’ve never entered.”
The team has already met with around 10 hotel owners while searching for the right fit. Whoever comes on board would need to contribute roughly $15 million in cash, matched by a similar amount from the developers, with the remainder financed through financial institutions.
Millions have already been invested
Despite the lack of visible construction, plenty of work has happened behind the scenes. The developers said approximately $30 million has gone into the land and infrastructure so far, with another $5 million spent on documentation and studies, putting their total investment at $35 million to date.
The first phase of Mōrea is estimated to cost around $200 million, with the team seeking roughly $160 million in financing to get there.
The developers have also stressed that Mōrea is meant to be far bigger than a typical water park. The planned complex includes two hotels, 190 rooms in the first phase and another 450 in a second hotel connected by a pedestrian bridge, along with a large parking structure, a convention and performance space, restaurants, shops, and other entertainment attractions. The water park itself is expected to feature indoor slides the team says will be firsts for Quebec.
When will construction actually start?
There’s still no official date. Courtemanche says landing a financially solid hotel operator or investor should make lenders more open to restarting financing discussions. Only then would construction begin.
“We put a shovel in the ground and start digging,” he said. “And 24 to 30 months later, we’ll be able to put on our swimsuits.”
In the meantime, Quebecers who want to hide the waterslides in the dead of winter will have to wait a little longer.