Members of a federal parliamentary committee will be in Banff next week to get a better understanding of the ongoing controversial debate over park use and development, and protection of the environment and wildlife.
Committee members plan to meet with several people in Banff on Sept. 20, including park superintendents, Banff’s mayor and town manager, ski hill operators, business operators and First Nations leaders, among others.
Officials say they’ve met with, and heard from, several conservation groups over the past several months.
Deb Schulte, chair of the standing committee, said committee members believe it’s important to visit Banff, meet the people on the ground and get a solid understanding on the conflicts, noting Banff is a one-day stop in a week long trip.
She said the standing committee embarked on an ambitious work plan in April, including an assessment of federal protected areas and conservation objectives.
“We have two pieces to the study; one is to improve and accelerate the process for establishing more lands and marine areas into protection by 2020, but we’re also looking to understand those conflicts with park users and park protection,” Schulte said.
“We’re aware of ski areas and other initiatives that have been brought to the parks and we’re aware of the impacts for some areas for protected wildlife habitat. We’re coming in with open ears, to learn what the different sides have to share about this.”
The standing committee on environment and sustainable development studies the programs and legislation of Environment Canada, Parks Canada and the Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency.
It also reports to the Commissioner of the Environment and Sustainable Development.
Banff National Park has long been at the centre of a debate over development and conservation.
Most recently, there’s been ongoing controversy over an apparent shift in how Parks Canada manages its national parks, moving away from its priority mandate of ecological integrity towards a bigger focus on tourism, marketing, increasing visitation and revenue generation.
Banff, the flagship of Canada’s national park system, now attracts close to four million visitors a year. It’s a park that’s seen ongoing commercial development, including summer use at Mount Norquay and a proposal for a massive expansion of the Lake Louise ski hill.
The Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) recently put forward 17 recommendations for national parks to Environment and Climate Change Minister Catherine McKenna.
They include calls to stop the major expansion plan for Lake Louise ski hill, which includes a plan to remove some land from declared wilderness, and say no to the conceptual approval of commercial tent-cabins at Maligne Lake in Jasper.
The national conservation organization also wants a $66 million paved bike path proposal between Jasper and the Columbia Icefields halted amid fears it will run through prime grizzly bear and caribou habitat.
The parliamentary committee on environment and sustainable development hopes to have a report drawn up for Minister McKenna by the end of this month.
To date, the committee has held five meetings in Ottawa on this study and has heard from 46 witnesses.
“This is the end of a lot of consultation that we’ve had,” Schulte said.
