Mom, daughter pull trailer out of South Muskoka Resort when reality falls short of ‘false advertising’ of Severn Bridge facility

A frustrated Orillia family that has pulled out of the South Muskoka Resort campground after purchasing a seasonal membership is beginning the process of suing the resort due to what are claimed to be unsafe and unsanitary conditions. The resort is near Gravenhurst.

Melissa Morgan and her mother, Brenda Morgan, claim the resort does not live up to what is advertised, to the extreme. They say the water is undrinkable, and Melissa has been sick for three weeks with an undiagnosed illness, which Brenda believes is caused by drinking the water from the resort, even after it was boiled.

Brenda is a cancer survivor with a compromised immune system and opted not to drink the boiled water.

The family signed a seasonal contract on May 23 based on advertised amenities of water hookup, weekly pump-out, electricity, a pool, a playground, and a comfort station with laundry, showers, and washrooms. The camper was moved to the site on May 28.

When they arrived on May 30, they found a boil-water advisory notice taped to their camper, and they say their experience went downhill from there.

“Then we found out there was no hookup directly to our trailer and that we had to use a garden hose, the same one that everybody had to use to fill the trailers. The hose is just open, so ants or anything can crawl up there,” Brenda explained.

Additionally, the comfort station flush toilets, showers, laundry, and pool were closed, and the playground equipment was in a state of decay. They also said there were exposed electrical lines snaking along the ground, there was a lot of garbage strewn around the grounds, and there were long-abandoned trailers with roofs caving in.

Porta-potties were set up outside the comfort station.

Brenda said she discovered the boil-water advisory had been in place all season, but claimed manager Anne Marie Tarswell didn’t tell them about it when they signed their contract.

“She knew on May 1 that the amenities were not available, and they still made us pay full price,” Brenda said, adding that the seasonal rate was approximately $5,000. “It’s false advertising.”

On top of that, Brenda and Melissa say there are rowdy people in the camp who party late into the night, who use a lot of foul language, and direct unwelcome comments to the women repeatedly.

Brenda said the manager controls access to the hose and the pool, so campers need permission to use them, and restricts movement between the seasonal campground and the year-round modular home section.

When contacted by OrilliaMatters, Tarswell said she was advised by owners Park Hill Capital not to comment. OrilliaMatters reached out to Park Hill Capital with emailed questions, sent twice. Neither email was returned.

South Muskoka Resort is located at 1064 Baseline Rd. in Severn Bridge and operates from April 1 to Oct. 30. It offers about 40 modular, year-round residences, 65 seasonal camp sites, and 13 transient camp sites.

Its website says, “We specialize in the management of RV parks and resorts, ensuring exceptional amenities and services for both guests and property owners … and (offer) a heated pool, playground, pristine laundry room and contemporary washroom with hot showers.”

The reality is quite different, Brenda says, noting they had to hire a private company to come in and pump out their trailer.

When the pool finally opened, Brenda says the paint was peeling off the bottom of the pool and sticking to swimmers.

“All the paint is flaking off, and it’s getting on your hands and feet and everything, so we stopped going in the pool. We didn’t think it was safe.”

Brenda took her own water sample to the Public Health Ontario lab in Orillia for testing. The result showed no E. coli, but there was sediment in it, she said.

“They have been told that their water is contaminated, their wells are contaminated, it’s not fit for human consumption. Everywhere you go, there are signs that say ‘boil water advisory,’ and they are using a garden hose, which is unregulated and unsanitary, and you are supposed to be able to boil that and drink it? Give me a break,” said Brenda.

“I felt like it was a nightmare being there.”

The Morgans pulled their camper out of the park on July 27. They are filling out the paperwork to sue the resort because the resort wouldn’t return their money. However, they are holding off until they discover what is ailing Melissa, as they think it’s related to the water at the resort.

Brenda said four or five other campers also left the campground, and some of them are also pursuing legal action.

“Two weeks before us, people were moving out, but we hadn’t found another spot yet,” said Brenda.

A resident in the year-round portion of South Muskoka Resort, who asked not to be named for fear of retribution from management, said the year-round residents have all suffered from poor water. When the water is not drinkable, management has not provided them with clean water, she said.

She also said management has banned people living in the year-round section from using the pool, the playground, and the trails that they’ve had access to in years past. Residents all pay monthly lot fees.

Additionally, she said the roads are in poor repair, full of potholes that are leading to damage to vehicles.

The pool didn’t open until well into July because it was ordered closed by the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU).

OrilliaMatters contacted the SMHDU to discover the resort had five “critical” infractions and one “non-critical” infraction with the pool on May 16. On June 12, the number of critical infractions was four, with two non-critical. On July 18, there were no critical infractions and one non-critical infraction. It is currently in compliance.

The resort has two wells and water systems, according to a representative from the Ministry of the Environment, Conservation and Parks. One serves the year-round residents and is operated by the District Municipality of Muskoka and regulated by the Ministry. This water is sampled bi-weekly.

“This water meets the Ontario Drinking Water Quality Standards and samples over the past two years show no microbiological contamination,” reads the ministry response.

The second water system services seasonal trailer sites and is regulated by the SMDHU and is an inspected source.

“Many of the issues have been addressed. However, precautionary measures remain in place to ensure the safety of the water throughout the property,” said Karen Kivilahti, manager of safe water with the SMDHU.

“As of our last inspection, it was being operated and maintained in compliance with application regulations. While this may not reflect the current status, our understanding is that the operator has continued to maintain precautionary measures, including a boil-water advisory.”

A boil-water advisory has been in effect since November 2024 for the year-round residential portion of the property as a precautionary measure, pending evaluation of the water system by a qualified person, Kivilahti wrote.