Alberta’s provincial parks and surrounding rural communities will benefit from a joint investment by the governments of Canada and Alberta towards enhancing park amenities and improving access for visitors. Lee Richardson, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre, on behalf of the Honourable Lynne Yelich, Minister of State for Western Economic Diversification, together with Cindy Ady, Minister of Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, announced a federal-provincial investment of $10 million towards the initiative. The governments of Canada and Alberta have each committed $5 million for parks improvement projects taking place between 2009 and 2011.
“Our Government recognizes that parks play an important role in attracting visitors to our communities,” said MP Richardson. “This exciting project will create immediate jobs across Alberta, while boosting local economies for the long term.”
Improving amenities at numerous provincial parks includes repairing and upgrading hiking trails, refurbishing campsites, hazardous tree removal, replacing picnic tables and fire pits, and enhancing viewpoints. In addition, Alberta’s online campground reservation system, Reserve.AlbertaParks.ca, has been expanded with photographs and detailed mapping of campsites at 25 more provincial campgrounds in 2010.
“Working with the federal government, we have been able to leverage additional investment in more than 200 projects across Alberta,” said Cindy Ady, Minister of Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation. “With this investment and partnership, we are able to further expand Reserve.AlbertaParks.ca by adding an additional campground in 2011.”
In February 2011, online reservations will be available at 51 provincial campgrounds, including a new location at Little Bow Provincial Park, near Lethbridge.
The initiative is generating immediate employment opportunities while enhancing the appeal of the Alberta parks system and streamlining the campground reservation process for local, national and international visitors. Increased tourism is also expected to create long-term economic benefits for local communities and businesses. Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation will oversee the project activities.
Since 2004, the Government of Alberta has invested more than $250 million in park facilities and infrastructure. More information on the Alberta parks system is available at www.albertaparks.ca.
Federal funding is being provided through the Community Adjustment Fund (CAF) as part of Canada’s Economic Action Plan. CAF is delivering a total of $1 billion over two years to local economies throughout Canada, including more than $104 million to support the most affected Alberta communities. For more information on the Community Adjustment Fund, please visit:www.wd-deo.gc.ca. To learn more about Canada’s Economic Action Plan, visit: www.actionplan.gc.ca.
