Is tourism and development good for national parks?
Canada's parks: a new report says tourism and development is threatening the pristine beauty of Canada's national parks. Others argue the more people who enjoy our parks, the better. Is development good for national parks? What are your favourite National and Provincial Parks?With guest host Susan McReynolds....
Canada's parks: a new report says tourism and development is threatening the pristine beauty of Canada's national parks. Others argue the more people who enjoy our parks, the better.
Is development good for national parks? What are your favourite National and Provincial Parks?
With guest host Susan McReynolds.
Introduction
Canadians love their national parks. Our wild areas are part of what defines us as a nation. From the fjords of Gross Morne to fields of Grassland Park on to the shores of Lake Louise and beyond, our natural spaces are our temples and great monuments, carved by nature and not by man.
The same can be said of our provincial parks. The lakes and and wolves of Algonquin, the hidden secrets of B.C.'s Hornby Island, and the thousands of oases in between where Canadians go to flee urban centres and remember what its like to unplug, sleep rough, and cook breakfast over an open fire.
The question is not whether we value our natural heritage, but how we choose to enjoy it.
A report out recently from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (or CPAWS as its known) has sent out an alarm over our quietest spaces. It says Canada's parks are under threat.
The report cites budget cuts, increased commercial development and delays in the creation of new parks as some of the main concerns. In some areas, provincial governments are busy fiddling with park boundaries to make way for business proposals.
CPAWS calls many recent commercial developments inside park boundaries "inconsistent" with Parks policy and public opinion. At the heart of our question today is whether or not you agree.
There are other opinions.
Some say preservationists have won the day in our parks system...that parks have become inaccessible to all but the hardiest among us. ...and that some of the great destinations within our parks, the kind of entrepreneuralism that led to the building of the great Banff Springs Hotel, would never be allowed to happen today.
Parks Canada has made attempts lately to attract those other than the usual crowd to come and play. They've set up walled tents for hire in prime camping locations, and are looking into setting up WIFI in some campgrounds.
But is that enough? What roll should private enterprise play inside our park system to make nature, more accessible?
We're asking you.
Our question today: Is development good for Canada's national and provincial parks? This is a long week end in some parts of the country. Perhaps you are tuning in while camping in a provincial or national park. Or perhaps you've taken a day trip to either a well known spot or a hidden gem. So tell us about that ....or about which park you would like to be in if you could spend some time away.
I'm Susan McReynolds ...on CBC Radio One ...and on Sirius XM, satellite radio channel 169 ...this is Cross Country Checkup.
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Links
Parks Canada
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
CBC.ca
Globe and Mail
Financial Post
Toronto Star
Calgary Herald
Edmonton Journal
Yukon News
Waterloo Record
My Parks Pass
Environment Canada
Is development good for national parks? What are your favourite National and Provincial Parks?
With guest host Susan McReynolds.
Guests & Links Twitter & E-Mail Download mp3 (right click, choose 'Save Target As')
Introduction
Canadians love their national parks. Our wild areas are part of what defines us as a nation. From the fjords of Gross Morne to fields of Grassland Park on to the shores of Lake Louise and beyond, our natural spaces are our temples and great monuments, carved by nature and not by man.
The same can be said of our provincial parks. The lakes and and wolves of Algonquin, the hidden secrets of B.C.'s Hornby Island, and the thousands of oases in between where Canadians go to flee urban centres and remember what its like to unplug, sleep rough, and cook breakfast over an open fire.
The question is not whether we value our natural heritage, but how we choose to enjoy it.
A report out recently from the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (or CPAWS as its known) has sent out an alarm over our quietest spaces. It says Canada's parks are under threat.
The report cites budget cuts, increased commercial development and delays in the creation of new parks as some of the main concerns. In some areas, provincial governments are busy fiddling with park boundaries to make way for business proposals.
CPAWS calls many recent commercial developments inside park boundaries "inconsistent" with Parks policy and public opinion. At the heart of our question today is whether or not you agree.
There are other opinions.
Some say preservationists have won the day in our parks system...that parks have become inaccessible to all but the hardiest among us. ...and that some of the great destinations within our parks, the kind of entrepreneuralism that led to the building of the great Banff Springs Hotel, would never be allowed to happen today.
Parks Canada has made attempts lately to attract those other than the usual crowd to come and play. They've set up walled tents for hire in prime camping locations, and are looking into setting up WIFI in some campgrounds.
But is that enough? What roll should private enterprise play inside our park system to make nature, more accessible?
We're asking you.
Our question today: Is development good for Canada's national and provincial parks? This is a long week end in some parts of the country. Perhaps you are tuning in while camping in a provincial or national park. Or perhaps you've taken a day trip to either a well known spot or a hidden gem. So tell us about that ....or about which park you would like to be in if you could spend some time away.
I'm Susan McReynolds ...on CBC Radio One ...and on Sirius XM, satellite radio channel 169 ...this is Cross Country Checkup.
- Éric Hébert-Daly
National Executive Director at the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) - Harvey Sawler
President of Forerunner Creative and Tourism Strategies - Peter Sudermann
Vice president of Camp Fortune in Ottawa and a partner with Mount Norquay in Banff, Alberta. - Robert Bateman
Painter and Naturalist
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Links
Parks Canada
Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society
CBC.ca
- Governments choosing development over conservation, parks group warns
- Parks Canada rejects Maligne Lake luxury hotel
- Wi-Fi hotspots coming to Canadian parks
Globe and Mail
- National parks under threat, report says
- Proposed hotel in picturesque Rockies park raises ire
- New to camping? These are Canada's best sites
Financial Post
Toronto Star
- Parks Canada gets much-needed boost in federal budget
- Parks Canada services take hit in budget cuts
- Parks Canada plagued by massive repair backlog
Calgary Herald
Edmonton Journal
Yukon News
Waterloo Record
My Parks Pass
Environment Canada