Today, a diverse group of Canadians gathered in Banff to call for an end to inappropriate commercialization of Canada’s national parks.
A rash of commercial projects in Banff and Jasper National Parks, and the recent last-minute approval of the Lake Louise Ski Resort’s large expansion, have privatized use of public lands and threatened the framework that controls development in Canada’s parks.
Wildsight, along with conservation organizations including CPAWS, Y2Y and Wild Canada Conservation Alliance, as well as biologists, First Nations and former Parks Canada staff are rallying under the banner of FightForYourParks and calling for a reversal of the approval of Lake Louise Ski Resort’s expansion, and a return to honouring the National Park Act’s emphasis on putting ecological integrity first in all of our national parks.
“Expansion of the Lake Louise Ski resort into national park wilderness is completely contrary to the protection of nature, the primary value that our parks provide for all Canadians. Further development within the parks has been consistently rejected by the vast majority of park visitors and citizens across the country,” says John Bergenske, Wildsight Conservation Director. “Federal politicians must recognize that people love nature and expect this to be respected in government policy and actions. There should be no expansion of commercial development in our national parks.”
FightForYourParks aims to protect the natural values Canada’s parks were intended to protect, as written in the National Parks Act, and to pass them on unimpaired to future generations.
Find out more and take action at FightForYourParks.