June 20, 2012
Ottawa — Earlier today, Parks Canada announced an amendment to the Riding Mountain National Park management plan allowing potential redevelopment of the long-closed Mount Agassiz Ski area. CPAWS is deeply concerned that this decision is yet another sign that the Agency is moving away from protecting ecological integrity as their first priority for park management.
Today’s announcement reverses Parks Canada’s previous commitment to remove the aging infrastructure from the bankrupt ski hill and restore the area’s ecosystem.
“This is part of a very worrying trend away from protecting and interpreting nature as the primary purpose of our national parks, and towards building commercial recreation and tourism facilities,” said Éric Hébert-Daly, CPAWS National Executive Director. “It’s the latest in a series of decisions that run counter to protecting ecological integrity as a first priority.”
The Canada National Parks Act prohibits the development of new downhill ski areas in national parks because of the significant impacts the activity has on park ecosystems. With most of the equipment and buildings at Mount Agassiz in need of replacement a decade after the hill went bankrupt, re-developing this site would essentially mean developing a new ski area. The feasibility study for the Mount Agassiz project casts serious doubt on its viability, citing an inadequate market, re-development requirements and competition from other ski areas in the region, all of which are appropriately located outside of the park.
This announcement follows on the heels of other Parks Canada decisions to allow large scale summer use of the Mount Norquay ski area in Banff, threatening important summer grizzly bear habitat, and to allow construction of a massive theme park-like glass-bottomed viewing platform in Jasper National Park along the Icefields Parkway.
“CPAWS strongly supports encouraging Canadians to enjoy our national parks in ways that focus on nature-based experiences and learning, as opposed to activities that depend on massive built infrastructure,” says Hébert-Daly. “Instead of trying to re-open a bankrupt ski hill, we encourage Parks Canada to look for nature-based eco-tourism opportunities in the region instead.”
For more information: http://cpaws.org/campaigns/protect-riding-mountain-national-park
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Contact:
Éric Hébert-Daly, National Executive Director, [email protected]