Northern Ont. resort creating unique cabin experience involving wolves

Cedar Meadows Resort, wildlife reserve in Timmins In this episode of Katie's Christmas Countdown, Richard Lafleur owner of Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa talks about the animals he has on site

For people who enjoy wildlife, there is a new experience coming to a northern Ontario resort that allows visitors to get up close and personal with a pack of wolves.

Cedar Meadows Resort and Spa in Timmins is looking to add the apex predators to its 100-acre wildlife park that already includes bison, elk and deer.

Owner Richard Lafleur said it’s been a decade-long dream of his to give people to opportunity to sleep next to a pack of wolves and a recent $300,000 contribution from the province is helping bring the idea to fruition.

Lafleur is expecting it to be a major tourist attraction.

"Nowadays, people are looking for an experience, something different. To me, this is the extreme. Sleeping with wolves should do it," he said.

"To me, it’s the mystique behind the wolf. Everybody’s afraid of wolves. You’ve heard so many stories about the 'big, bad wolf,' you know. If you’ve ever heard a wolf howl at night, it’s a bit freaky.”

Lafleur’s plan includes five small chalets, each with a bedroom encased in glass walls and immersed in a 10-acre enclosure that holds the wolf pack.

"You’ll be faced with a wolf, probably, in the morning, looking at you," he said.

They would be fed in view of the guests and Lafleur wants to install extra lighting, so guests can see them moving at night.

The idea, he said, is to find different ways to bring people to the north.

While Lafleur said he still needs to source a pack of wolves from a zoo and a caretaker, he is aiming to have everything ready this summer.

The final product will be a trial and error process, he said, to make sure everything is safe and to give people the best experience.

There is currently a wildlife park in Quebec that is offering the same experience, Parc Omega.

Meanwhile, a little more than an hour's drive north of Timmins, the Cochrane Polar Bear Habitat allows visitors a close-up view of the world's top predator. The 24-acre facility is the only one in the world dedicated solely to the care of polar bears.