Alberta Parks Face Resort Boundary Changes
Proposed boundary changes for Alberta's provincial parks to allow year-round resort operations are raising concerns among conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts. Critics worry that shifting boundaries and expanded resort infrastructure could threaten habitat, limit access, and undermine the wilderness character of protected lands. The debate reflects broader tension between economic development and environmental preservation in popular hiking regions.
- The changes are part of the new *All-Seasons Resorts Act*, which aims to help more than double Alberta's visitor economy to $25 billion by 2035. The first three resorts designated under this act are Nakiska, Fortress Mountain, and Castle Mountain. - In total, over 1,000 hectares of provincial park land have been shifted to the resorts. This includes Nakiska receiving 929 hectares from the Evan-Thomas Provincial Recreation Area, Fortress Mountain gaining 131 hectares from Spray Valley Provincial Park, and Castle Mountain Resort's lease expanding by 54 hectares from Castle Provincial Park. - Government officials state the boundary adjustments affect less than 0.03% of Alberta's park system and that since 2019, the government has added over 300,000 hectares to provincial parks and recreation areas. - Banff-Kananaskis MLA Sarah Elmeligi, a former Alberta Parks planner, has been a vocal critic, calling the boundary changes a "very slippery slope" that "undermines the entire provincial parks system." - An internal government briefing note, obtained by CBC News through an access to information request, acknowledged that the "cumulative impact of development and visitor intensity remains a concern in the Kananaskis Valley if both Fortress and Nakiska become all-seasons resorts in close proximity." - The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) has expressed deep concern, stating that the act allows for changing park boundaries to accommodate developments that would otherwise not be permitted, setting a "dangerous precedent." - The government projects that developing these three resorts into all-season destinations could generate up to $4 billion in additional tourism spending and create as many as 24,000 new full-time jobs by 2035. - The *All-Season Resorts Act* empowers the Minister of Tourism and Sport to remove protected area designations to establish All-Season Resort Zones, a move that critics say circumvents normal environmental land-use planning and review processes.
