BANFF – Parks Canada has emphatically vetoed an aerial gondola from the Banff townsite to Mount Norquay once and for all.
Banff National Park superintendent Sal Rasheed wrote a strongly worded letter to the Town of Banff in advance of council’s public hearing on the area redevelopment plan (ARP) for the railway lands on Wednesday (March 20).
“Again, as noted in several letters, emails, meetings, and telephone discussions between 2019 and 2024, a gondola from the ARP site to the Mount Norquay ski area has been assessed twice and found not to be feasible due to non-conformance with key park policy and legislation,” said Rasheed.
Council passed first reading in December of the ARP – a statutory plan that guides land use and development decisions on the railway lands over the next 10 to 20 years – and set a public hearing for March 20.
The ARP covers the development potential for the 17.5 hectares of land on the north and south sides of the railway tracks leased from Canadian Pacific Kansas City Railway by Liricon Capital, which also owns Mount Norquay ski and sightseeing resort.
As part of the plan for a multi-modal transportation hub, Railway Avenue would be redesigned as a shared street for a pedestrian promenade, walkway, vehicle traffic, and cycling connection to the Legacy Trail. Restaurants, bars, and retail stores are also part of the plan, along with medium-density residential housing.
In addition to the existing 500-stall intercept parking lot on the south side of the tracks that opened in 2019, the plan proposes 600 stalls on the north side of the tracks by the important Fenlands Indian Grounds wildlife corridor.
The ARP also speaks to a proposal for the return of passenger rail from Calgary to Banff as well as terminus infrastructure to make way for a future aerial gondola from the train station lands to the base of Mount Norquay ski hill.
Parks Canada has previously raised concerns that portions of any gondola proposal from the townsite to the base of the ski hill would include land outside the ski area lease and licence of occupation, which could be viewed as a de-facto expansion of the ski area.
In addition, there were also concerns that ski area management guidelines do not contemplate ski areas becoming primarily summer operations, as well as concerns a gondola flies in the face of legislation and policies pertaining to commercial development and growth and use of public lands.
In his March 15 letter, Rasheed said Parks Canada has reviewed three draft versions of the ARP, starting in December 2021, and each time determined it did not conform with key policies and legislation, including the Canada National Parks Act and Banff National Park Management Plan.
On review of the third draft handed to Parks Canada in September 2023, Rasheed said some changes to the plan were noted and appreciated.
“It remains the view of Parks Canada, however, that the draft ARP does not fully conform with applicable federal statutes and regulations, the Town of Banff Incorporation Agreement, and the Banff National Park Management Plan,” he said.
Liricon was quick to fire back a scathing letter to Parks Canada in response.
Jan Waterous, managing partner of Liricon Capital who has a vision for a car-free Banff, said this is the latest example of Parks Canada’s “consistent behaviour of resisting our efforts” to address vehicle congestion in Banff National Park.
She said the federal agency has “attempted to thwart our attempts” to reduce the impact of personal vehicles over the past years, including development of Banff’s first intercept parking lot at the train station and plans to return passenger rail from Calgary to Banff.
“Parks Canada is now raising a spurious concern about a potential gondola terminus in the ARP, which is fundamental to making the multi-modal transit hub economically sustainable,” said Waterous.
Waterous said Liricon took on these projects to reduce this congestion as a result of “Parks Canada’s failure to address vehicular traffic.”
“This failure has been detrimental to both the ecological integrity and visitor experience in the park,” she said.
The free intercept parking at the site hinges on revenue generation from a gondola.
Should a gondola terminus be excluded from the ARP, revenue stream from the gondola – which is intended to cover free intercept parking, wildlife restoration and off-site improvements – would be replaced by paid parking.
In documents before Banff’s Municipal Planning Commission on March 13, planners indicated the municipality would work with Liricon if a gondola terminus is not included in the ARP, which could include an ongoing funding arrangement, or transitioning to a user-pay model.
“The Town could explore payment agreement to subsidize cost or maintain free parking,” according to the documents before MPC.
Waterous said there were several fundamental errors with Park Canada’s position in the letter, including that there have never been two gondola proposals.
She said Rasheed’s letter confuses Parks Canada’s previous decision to turn down a large gondola proposal to the summit of Mount Norquay with a potential smaller aerial transit proposal between the townsite and the base of Norquay, which she said Parks Canada has not assessed.
“While the proposed ARP currently before Town council includes a gondola terminus, until an actual second gondola proposal is made Parks Canada will not know whether it actually contains any of the allegedly offending components referred to…,” she said.
Waterous also suggests that Parks Canada’s position of a gondola in the ARP is a breach of the 2011 Mount Norquay Site Guidelines, which indicated potential consideration of tramway/gondola from the townsite to the ski area.
Parks Canada, however, maintains a gondola has been off the table since a 2018 feasibility study of Norquay’s initial gondola proposal to the summit – regardless of formal proposals or conceptual discussions.
The federal environment and climate change minister has final say on all land use and development issues in the Banff townsite, including ARPs.
Waterous believes Parks Canada is interjecting in the municipal process.
“Town council’s ability to represent the community should not be prematurely thwarted by Parks Canada administration,” she said.
“Town council must not blindly follow whatever Parks Canada administration determines.”
The Town of Banff administration welcomed the clear feedback they had requested from Parks Canada on the proposed ARP.
“We are glad to have received their response for council’s consideration as part of this agreed upon process,” said Randall McKay, manager of special projects and strategic initiatives for the Town.
“Town administration respects and acknowledges Parks Canada’s concern about including a gondola terminus building in the ARP.”
