Winnipeg water bus business sunk by high river levels

A wet spring that has kept Winnipeg's rivers swollen has now sunk the River Spirit water bus business.

Owner Gord Cartwright said he hasn't been able to run the service at all because the water is too high to put out the docks at the seven stops along the Red and Assiniboine rivers.

"And by the time the water actually goes down to normal — that's when we can actually get the water docks opened up and running — it'll be the end of August, so it's too late for that service this year," he said.

• Winnipeg's water bus back in service

It has been a tough few years for the river bus service, which has only been able to operate a couple of summers in the past six years.

​"I'm almost used to it, it's actually almost the new norm for me — just always to be dealing with high water levels," Cartwright said. 

When it can operate, the River Spirit runs through July and August with service to docks near Corydon Village, the Manitoba legislative building, The Forks, Norwood, the city's French quarter, and the Exchange District.

Cartwright also owns Splash Dash Boat Tours, which is based at the Forks and offers half-hour tours of Winnipeg's downtown waterways from May to October. Those boats have been able to operate from a temporary dock set up at the Forks harbour.

Cartwright said those tours have been popular but without the water buses, business is down 30 to 40 per cent.