The 'Abundance of Caution' Charade at Canada's Wonderland
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Shutting down local rides because of a tragedy in Georgia isn't safety—it's a corporate PR stunt that ignores the park's own maintenance record.
OPINION: Let's call this what it is. When Canada's Wonderland President Christopher Mortensen announced that the Behemoth and Leviathan roller-coasters would remain closed "for the time being," he wrapped the decision in the corporate jargon of "an abundance of caution." But there is nothing cautious about shutting down perfectly functional hardware in Ontario because of a failure in Georgia. It is a cowardly PR stunt.
According to reporting from CBC Toronto and BlogTO, the closures follow a fatal incident at Six Flags Over Georgia involving a ride called Goliath. While officials have not confirmed the exact cause of the death, witnesses described a man coming out of his seat. In response, Six Flags—the parent company of Canada's Wonderland—shut down nine roller-coasters across six different parks.
The contradiction is clear: Mortensen asserts that the park's operational, maintenance, and inspection procedures are "rigorous" and meet or even exceed the standards of the industry. He explicitly told CBC Toronto that these rides undergo daily, weekly, monthly, and annual inspections. If the local hardware is inspected daily and the staff is "extensively trained," as Mortensen asserts, then the Behemoth and Leviathan are safe. Period.
By closing these rides indefinitely—a timeline spokesperson Grace Peacock confirmed to CityNews Toronto does not yet exist—the park is sending a contradictory message. They are telling guests that their rigorous safety protocols are sufficient, yet they are acting as if those protocols are meaningless the moment a sister park thousands of miles away has a mechanical failure. It treats the guests like children, suggesting that the local rides are suddenly suspect despite no reported issues at the Vaughan location.
This isn't the first time Six Flags has dealt with ride-related turmoil. CBC Toronto notes that Six Flags Magic Mountain in Southern California recently retired its X2 roller-coaster amid lawsuits alleging the ride caused serious brain injuries. Furthermore, the Georgia park has seen at least seven deaths.
If there is a systemic failure in how Six Flags manages its fleet, shutting down the Leviathan and Behemoth is not a safety measure; it is a liability shield. It is a way to signal "concern" to the public without actually addressing whether the corporate safety culture is broken. If the rides are safe because of the "rigorous" inspections Mortensen touts, then open the gates. If they aren't, then the "industry standards" the park claims to exceed are a lie.
Until then, the "abundance of caution" is just a convenient cloak for a company trying to manage its image while guests are left wondering why their local thrills are being held hostage by a tragedy in another jurisdiction.