Inadequate funding to Jasper National Park is causing its "death by a thousand cuts"

Canadians are virtually unanimous (97%) in believing that protection of existing national parks is important (Environics 2000). Why, then, has the federal government cut funding to the national parks so that their future is seriously in doubt?

We have forgotten that the national parks of this country are sacred places and not cash cows for the entrepreneurs.

– Pierre Berton

WHY THE WEBSITE :

Canadians should be aware of what is happening to their national parks.

Parks Canada, the oldest and one of the most respected national park services in the world, is now hopelessly under-funded. Funding Cuts

The federal government has recently created ten new national parks and five national marine conservation areas. But with inadequate funding to operate them and the 39 existing national parks, money is being leached from the older parks to the extent that they may never recover.

Jasper National Park – part of a World Heritage Site – is now trying to function with an annual deficit of almost $500,000. The park’s budget was cut by 35% between 1997 and 2000. Evidence of this can now be seen, not only in the state of the park’s infrastructure, but also in decisions management is forced to make.

Instead of a healthy organization with a diverse workforce and sufficient resources to employ it effectively, too much of Parks Canada is now focused on the business side of running a park. In order to try to run the park on a pittance and meet a “revenue target” for the Treasury Board each year, business now comes first and protection of the park is secondary.

The Environmental Assessment Process is an example of this trend: some people may now regard it as little more than a rubber stamp for development. This can be seen in a recent lease replacement in the Maligne Valley that could seriously affect future habitat management for the park’s three mammals classified as “species at risk” – woodland caribou, grizzly and wolverine.

While doing what it can to educate the public to prevent highway wildlife kills, Parks Canada is financially restricted from innovative future planning for park roads. Roads and Rails

After decades of fire suppression, Parks Canada must now clear brush-choked forests in order to protect lives and buildings. But money is so short that it can only do this if it sells the logs – a very dangerous precedent in a national park.

Parks Canada shows little enthusiasm to control activities that adversely affect wilderness and wildlife if it may be unpopular with business interests – such as the reduction of horse numbers in the Tonquin Valley. Last year, however, it made the welcome and long-overdue decision to keep the Cavell Meadows closed in the spring until the trails were dry.

Parks is unwilling to anger local Jasper residents by closing illicit mountain-biking, hiking and horse trails and enforcing its off-leash dog law in spite of the adverse effect these may be having on the wolf, grizzlies and other wildlife of the montane ecoregion.

Jasper and, we believe, all the national parks are suffering “death by a thousand cuts.” If this increased commercialization and the lack of commitment to park wilderness and wildlife continues, there will be little to distinguish them from the rest of Canada for future generations to experience and enjoy.

With business taking priority, the Parks Canada Agency now, too often, ignores or ‘spin doctors’ its own legislated mandate. In the past few years, the Jasper Environmental Association has found a stubborn unwillingness by Parks Canada to respond to letters of concern. Public input and science are being increasingly disregarded on proposed development in the parks. Many Canadians would see this is a betrayal of the public trust.

Because of this disturbing scenario, we want to tell Canadians what is happening to Jasper National Park and, we believe, is also happening in the other unique and magnificent wilderness areas preserved in the past by far-seeing leaders. These parks – so vital as islands of peace for people and sanctuaries for wildlife on an increasingly troubled planet – must not be compromised.

We bring you these present issues and we will bring you future issues. But we will also bring you some of the grandeur and beauty of the park. So, when you come to Jasper, you may know more of the wonderful diversity of this World Heritage Site while being more aware of the threats to it.

We look forward to hearing your views, and we ask for your help in persuading the government to provide adequate funding to Parks Canada. We also need your help in persuading that Agency to fulfill the mandate bestowed on it by Canadian legislation. How You Can Help