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BOW VALLEY – Banff-Kananaskis MLA Sarah Elmeligi has been named the NDP’s critic for tourism, sport and recreation.
With more than a month passing since she won the riding by a mere 303 votes over UCP incumbent Miranda Rosin, Elmeligi hit the ground running and was appointed to the Opposition critic role by NDP leader Rachel Notley on June 27.
“I am very excited that our leader has put her faith and trust in me to carry this portfolio,” she said.
“Tourism, sport and recreation are really important to the Banff-Kananaskis riding and to the province as a whole. I think there’s a lot of room for growth in this critic portfolio.”
In announcing the NDP caucus leadership and critic roles late last month, Notley said some initial priorities will be ending the crisis in healthcare, delivering better public education, pushing for real action to lower costs for Albertans and providing more affordable housing.
“We have so much work to do,” said Notley in the media release.
For Elmeligi, tourism, housing and economic viability are tied together in the Bow Valley.
One of her first local priorities is working with Parks Canada and the Lake Louise ski resort and summer sightseeing gondola to find housing solutions for the approximately 160 people left homeless after the Charleston staff residence was destroyed by fire on July 3.
“There’s an outpouring of donations from our community, and the ski resort is working really well with other hotels to find temporary lodging solutions for these staff,” said Elmeligi, who delivered a carload of donations to Lake Louise on July 4.
“But, obviously, we’re going to need some more medium- and long-term solutions … so that’s really an immediate priority.”
On a provincial scale, one of Elmeligi’s initial priorities heading up the portfolio is to continue to elevate the importance of tourism as a provincial economic contributor and to draw on the leadership and experience of tourism operators in the Bow Valley and Kananaskis Country.
With an extensive background in conservation, wildlife biology and park planning, she said a big piece is working towards sustainable and regenerative tourism, as well as tourism that acknowledges and respects community identity and its development.
“One of the biggest ones is the importance of planning right and having tourism plans in place for communities so that infrastructure does not lag behind tourism growth and that community identity is retained while welcoming tourists to a place at the same time,” she said.
“I learned a lot of things on the Canmore Mayor’s Tourism Task Force a few years ago, and one of the things that kept coming up, was how do we retain our community identity and welcome people from all over the world?
“One thing that’s clear is that’s not an easy thing to do, but it definitely doesn’t happen by accident, so there is a need for tourism planning that is intentional, strategic and collaborative with all related stakeholders.”
For Elmeligi, not all tourism is about recreation.
She said some tourism plays an important role in helping people deal with trauma and to heal from mental, physical, and emotional pain, noting this riding is lucky to have small operators offering these types of tourism opportunities.
She pointed to other tourism, recreation and sporting experiences like the Calgary Stampede, which is a significant tourism draw for the City of Calgary and the province.
There’s also food and agricultural tourism, too, including the local craft brewing and local distillery industry.
Elmeligi said there are a lot of opportunities to weave environmental sustainability with tourism, sport and recreation.
“We also have a lot of opportunities to show how that works, how we can conserve the environment and grow our tourism industry in a sustainable way,” said Elmeligi who has worked for Alberta Parks and Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) in the past.
“I think that I’m well-positioned through my experience and expertise to demonstrate how we do that.”
While an office for the new Banff-Kananaksis MLA has not been secured just yet, Elmeligi said she encourages people to reach out to her, noting she has a lot to learn in her new role.
“The important way for me to learn is for people to reach out and tell me about the events that they’re hosting and the things that matter to them,” she said.
