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Disappointed with Parks' stance on Norquay

Editor: So Banff superintendent Pam Veinotte virtually would ignore the commitments and the deal agreed upon by Parks Canada and Norquay just because they occurred 22 years ago (RMO, Oct.

Editor:

So Banff superintendent Pam Veinotte virtually would ignore the commitments and the deal agreed upon by Parks Canada and Norquay just because they occurred 22 years ago (RMO, Oct. 21)? Where do she and Parks Canada CEO Alan Latourelle draw the line?

After all, those dusty Ten Commandments have been around for about 3,000 years. Is ‘honour thy father and thy mother’ now passé? The Charter of Rights and Freedoms is seven years older than the Norquay agreement. Has the Charter become just a ‘snapshot,’ too? In 11 years, when the most recent iteration of the 1930 Canada National Parks Act turns 22, will Parks Canada, arbitrarily and behind closed doors, implement policies completely contrary to this founding piece of legislation?

We won’t have to wait 11 years to find out. They already have.

There is absolutely no foundation in the Canada National Parks Act for the ‘overarching commitment’ to commercial tourism alleged in recently-approved Norquay guidelines. And this contrived ‘overarching commitment’ is contrary to the legislated priority mandate to maintain or restore ecological integrity in our national parks.

Twenty-two years ago, Parks Canada, on behalf of all Canadians, approved a binding agreement which provided certain benefits to Norquay in exchange for foregone summer use. In perpetuity. Federal courts upheld this agreement against challenges from subsequent Norquay owners. Twenty-two years on, Norquay still enjoys those benefits. Yet the benefits that once flowed to the park and the Canadian people are now up for grabs. Why has Parks Canada now encouraged Norquay to claw those benefits back?

Apparently none of this committed and binding precedent is good enough for Parks Canada. Instead of honouring their historic commitment to the integrity of Canada’s first national park, and indeed their commitments to all Canadians, Parks Canada has fabricated a new ‘overarching commitment’ to commercial operators.

The crass approval of summer ab-use at Norquay is nothing but venal expediency.

On numerous occasions, former superintendent Kevin Van Tighem stated that ensuring the success of businesses operating within the park is none of Parks Canada’s business. Well said. And quickly forgotten.

If this current perverse ploy fails to pull Norquay’s fiscal fat from the fire, what concessions will the next owners try to squeeze from our national park so they can recover their sagging bottom line? And with Norquay as a precedent, how will this play out at the two other ski areas in the park, each of which has gone through a previous long range planning process also intended to define limits?

Public policy, within our precious national parks and beyond, must be based first on the integrity of being true to one’s word. But that key principle now fails in Banff National Park. Perhaps the power of profiteering and the duty to defend ecological integrity are just too much for some at Parks Canada.

But senior staff can show they truly deserve the privilege and responsibility of managing our national park treasures. They can turn away from the current commercial misdirection and re-earn the support of the Canadian public. We look forward to the day – soon, hopefully – when they demonstrate they truly are prepared to properly manage our national park treasures.

And, instead of following convoluted contrivances, they respect the first priority of protecting ecological integrity as required by the Canada National Parks Act.

So, let’s imagine that different direction. Imagine commercial operators who share the priority of ecological integrity in Banff National Park. Some innovative business owners already are out there. Imagine recreation, adventure and educational opportunities that are ‘Real. Inspiring.’

Consider recent record visitation to Yellowstone National Park, where visitors are attracted – not by contrived gimmicks, golf tournaments, triathlons, dragon-boat races and via ferrata – but by unadorned geysers, grizzlies, wolves, scenery and Yellowstone-only opportunities. We also can look to Waterton Lakes National Park, where special events celebrating spring wildflowers and bugling bull elk attract and inspire visitors. And we can remember what thrilled and inspired each of us most when we first visited Banff National Park.

It’s not too late.

Jim Pissot, WildCanada Conservation Alliance; Nigel Douglas, AWA Conservation Specialist; Lisa Downing, Canmore; Colin Ferguson, Canmore; Ben Gadd, Canmore; Jeff Gailus, Canmore/Missoula; Carlos R. Garcia, Canmore; Laura Lynes, Canmore; Mike McIvor, president, Bow Valley Naturalists; Valerie Pissot, Canmore; Reno Sommerhalder, Canmore and Dr. Gaby Zezulka-Mailloux, Abu Dhabi

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