The scheme probably falls into the “it seemed like a good idea at the time” category.
At first blush, the idea of offering Canadians a free national parks pass in 2017 as part of the celebration of this country’s 150th anniversary sounds like a good idea.
Think of it, millions of Canadians who may not otherwise visit a park, or visit on a limited basis, can get a pass and spend as much of 2017 as they like exploring some of this nation’s most scenic and awe inspiring locales.
On the other hand, think of the lost millions of dollars in revenue that Parks Canada will have to do without in moving forward into 2018 and beyond.
Much like the mandate Parks Canada was handed several years ago to increase tourism by two per cent annually, a target already greatly exceeded in Banff, the flagship of the national park system, there will be consequences.
The hoped-for two per cent increase, as it turns out, has, in fact, translated into 3.8 million visitors Banff in 2015; which is a 7.4 per cent increase over 2014, which was a 10.4 per cent increase over 2013. In a town like Banff, ideally situated within a national park near a city of one million souls, and one that is already bursting at the seams during the summer months, the situation may further advance beyond overload.
With free passes available, that 3.8 million visitors could mushroom to who knows how many people? With housing, staffing, traffic congestion and parking already at nearly crisis levels, what problems will yet another significant tourism boost create for Banff, the town, moreso than Banff, the national park?
At a recent planning forum in Banff, Superintendent Dave McDonough nicely understated the problem – “If visitation does continue to increase year after year, it will put additional stresses on infrastructure.”
No kidding. As former Banff Mayor John Stutz used to say in regard to his town providing infrastructure for tourism – “we flush toilets for 25,000 a day on a tax base of 9,000 people.”
When it comes to lost revenue, it’s unlikely that a big run on Parks passes for Auyuittuq on Baffin Island will cause much concern, but a run on passes for uber-popular Rocky Mountain national parks and other national parks near major centres could cause problems down the road, money-wise.
Possibly the mandate for free passes was handed down from new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s office, through new Minister of the Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna, to individual park superintendents, but the effects will be where the rubber meets the road, so to speak.
There’s no going back on the idea of free passes, of course, we just hope that a loss of revenue doesn’t result in cutbacks in the future. After cutbacks during the Conservatives’ rule, we’d hope the Liberals don’t follow suit.
Luckily, we hope, Banff, the national park, and Banff, the town, have this year to gird themselves for what may be an onslaught.
