That time an Ontario mall had the continent's biggest indoor water slide

While Ontario is home to plenty of water parks today, including Bingemans Big Splash and Wet'n'Wild, there's one, lesser-known water park that you likely haven't heard about — especially since it was only around for two years.

Shoppers World Brampton officially opened its doors in 1969, and although the shopping mall is still home to over 190 stores, it once served as the site of a short-lived water park called White Water, which opened up in early 1984.

We'll use "water park" as a loose term here, as the attraction was just one single slide that thrill seekers would ride over and over again. B.C.-based company WhiteWater West constructed the 384-foot-long slide, which was the largest indoor water slide in North America at the time.

Photo: Region of Peel Archives.

The winding slide took visitors on a 40-second ride into a four-foot deep splash pool adorned with glass slides, where other guests could watch. The stairs to the slide, which were housed in a glass-tiled tower, soared above the mall's roof, reaching a peak of 55 feet or approximately 16.8 metres.

Ten tickets for the slide ran for $3.50 or $4 on the weekends. The attraction reportedly cost $800,000 to build at the time, which is equivalent to roughly $2.2 million today, factoring in inflation.

An advertisement for the water park in the Brampton Guardian shortly after its opening in 1984 read, "Feel the rush of excitement as a carpet of water plunges you into a safe, see-through fiberglass tunnel of curves and turns and wild dips … and a final splash of fun as you slip into the crystal clear receiving pool. Ready for more? You got it. The indoor adventure of a lifetime is waiting for you at Shopper's World, Brampton."

Photo: Region of Peel Archives.

The attraction ultimately closed after a short-lived stint in December 1985 and was disassembled and removed in January 1986. Although it was profitable during its time, the water slide reportedly shut down due to a mix of insurance hikes, rent increases, and staff issues.

That same summer, another water park called Sunshine Beach opened in Brampton, later rebranded as Wild Water Kingdom and now known as Wet'n'Wild Toronto.

WhiteWater remains a successful company today, and still designs and builds water slides, water rides, and aquatic play structures across various types of venues around the world, including both indoor and outdoor water parks, amusement parks, hotels, resorts, cruise ships, zoos, aquariums, and sports venues.

The company was named one of Canada's Best Managed Companies in 2026 and boasts numerous offices around the world, including in Richmond, Munich, Dubai, San Diego, Shanghai, and Mumbai.

Did you ever visit this water slide at Shoppers World?