Why did Cultus waterslide operator keep park open for hours after 12 children suffered serious ‘electrical shock and burn injuries’?
Owners don't respond to questions while Chilliwack school district concedes letting local kids stay ‘may not have been the most cautious approach’
Imagine watching a hockey game in a large arena or working on a large construction site and a dozen people suddenly suffer electrical burn injuries so serious that paramedics and air ambulances are dispatched to rush the victims to hospital.
Would the hockey game continue?
Would work on the construction site go on?
Something akin to that happened on Monday (June 15, 2026) when a terrifying incident happened at Cultus Lake Waterpark. A dozen 12- and 13-year-olds on a field trip from Minnekhada Middle School in Coquitlam suffered “electrical shock and burn injuries” after touching a metal railing queuing up for the Zero-to-60 Raceway slide on the eastern edge of the park.
Paramedics raced to the site up Columbia Valley Road and an a BC Air Ambulance helicopter was dispatched to rush the children to hospital. WorkSafeBC was notified of the incident as was Technical Safety B.C. (TSBC). A preliminary investigation by TSBC identified “electrical non-compliances” at the site.
"This is deeply concerning,” TSBC vice-president of operations Kate Parker told CBC News on Wednesday.
“We would classify this as a serious incident.”
Serious as this was, the near tragedy did not prompt the closure of the park by operators. The ride in question was simply taped off and kids not burned and shocked by the electricity kept on splashing on the unaffected slides.
“What measures were taken to confirm, without a doubt, and under whose authority was it determined that the remainder of the waterpark was safe?”
That’s one of many questions parent Quima Padgett of Chilliwack had on Monday. Padgett’s child attends F.G. Leary, another school on a field trip at the waterslides on Monday.
“If the same would have happened at a construction site or any worksite, they would have been expected to shut down immediately,” Padgett told Something Worth Hearing. “I'm concerned as to who made the decision to keep it open after such a massive emergency that could have potentially injured more people.”
That would be a question for the waterpark’s management and the regulator, but she also wondered why adults from the school didn’t proactively end the field trip.
Less than an hour after the serious electrical incident burned the children, an email was sent out to parents from the F.G. Leary office.
“During our time at the waterslides, there was an incident that comprised safety,” the email said. “Waterpark staff shut down the area that was affected immediately and responded quickly. Emergency services were called.”
But then this: “We are still able to continue our time here and enjoy the other areas, as the concern is isolated.”
How did the school know the rest of the park was safe from what TSBC two days later would describe as “electrical non-compliances,” which are defined as electrical work that don't meet safety requirements under the B.C. electrical code. The school “knew” because the waterpark operator “confirmed that the situation was contained and that other sections could safely remain open,” according to Chilliwack School District communications manager Amy Dhanjal.
“Based on this information, and what was known at the time, school staff continued supervision of students in the other areas.”
But why stay after a tragedy?
Another question Padgett has is to wonder why, even if the waterpark management said all was safe, the school didn’t leave anyway.
“Whose decision was it to keep the kids on site, and to suffer the trauma of seeing the entire thing unfold in front of them?”
That’s what she asked the school and of Chilliwack School District (SD33) superintendent Rohan Arul-pragasam. She didn’t hear back. This reporter asked the same question of the F.G. Leary principal and got a response from Dhanjal who said waterpark staff confirmed the other sections of the park could remain open.
She added, however, that the district understands families might have different expectations about the response.
“In reflecting on this, we acknowledge that for some families, remaining on site may not have been the most cautious approach. We are reviewing our decision-making processes to ensure that if a situation like this were to occur in the future, our response aligns with the expectations of our school communities.”
Was stop-work order ignored?
WorkSafeBC was also asked about why the park was not shut down immediately after the electrical incident.
Ashley Gregerson with WorkSafeBC, whose email signature describes here title as “advisor, government, media relations and issues management,” said that WorkSafeBC was notified of the incident at approximately 11:20 a.m. on June 15 and that no worker injuries were reported.
“WorkSafeBC issued a stop-work order which applies to the entire work site, excluding an administrative building,” she said. “The stop-work order will remain in place until it is safe for work activities at the park to resume.”
A response was not immediately available as to why the park remained open for several hours after 11:20 a.m. if a stop-work order was issued.
As for Cultus Lake Waterpark owners or management, no one replied to emailed questions to comment. CBC News reported that the park similarly did not respond to their questions. They did issue “thoughts and prayers” posted in a statement on their website Tuesday.
“Our thoughts and prayers continue to go out to all the victims, their families and classmates who were affected by the electrical incident which occurred yesterday.”
TSBC told CBC News in a statement that “given the regulated electrical and amusement device equipment involved in this incident, our safety officers are currently on-site conducting a thorough assessment.”
At last word the park remains closed until at least Monday, June 22.
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Paul J. Henderson
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