This fall, AMPPE will be heading to Ottawa again to bring members concerns to decision-makers. While Parks Canada is set on expanding the number of National Parks (including urban national parks) infrastructure is crumbling in existing parks and Field Units continue to see operational budgets shrink.
In the 2023-24 budget, the Parks Canada Agency 2023-24, saw allocations of $33.8M for the urban park program, $17.4M$ for ecological corridors, $14.3M for feasibility studies for national marine conservation areas and $50.8M for new park establishment work. The Agency also received $25 million to work towards reconciliation.
Last year, the Agency received $557M in bridge funding to address critical infrastructure projects and to ‘maintain expertise’ to prepare for long-term asset sustainability until 2024-25. Of this envelope, the Mountain Parks received $71M. While this was a welcome investment, this funding doesn’t not represent any new infrastructure and it falls far below what is required.
With a new Tourism Growth Strategy, and the recent MOU signed between TIAC and Parks Canada AMPPE believes the time is ripe for investment.
Check out AMPPE’s budget recommendations:
The table below is a partial list of funding allocations related to the $557M in infrastructure funding announced last year (2022-23). This is what has been publicly announced so far.
Allocation of $557 investment
| Project name | Location | Funding amount | Project description |
| Lake Louise sewer and waste rehabilitation | Banff | Previous funding announced (2015): $11.6M Total new funding: $12.1M Estimated total: $23.75 M | To complete ongoing repairs to water and sewer infrastructure in the community of Lake Louise.This phase of the project will build new and upgrade existing lift stations and add safety redundancies (overlapping systems and operations designed to maintain services if primary systems were to experience a failure) to the community’s critical infrastructure |
| Lake Louise Drive rehabilitation and modernization | Banff | $9.8M | Lake Louise Drive will be redesigned to accommodate transit infrastructure, private vehicles and cyclists to safely move visitors to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake. This roadway hosts over one million vehicles each year, and new traffic control measures and road design for a variety of transportation options will provide safer access and improved visitor experience. Lake Louise Drive also intersects an important wildlife corridor. Designs will include methods of improving habitat connectivity to allow for the safe movement of wildlife. Repairs and redesign of the road, along with new signage, will welcome visitors and improve travelers’ experience between the Trans-Canada Highway and the lakes. |
| Parks Canada’s Dispatch Console System replacement | The Parks Canada Radio Dispatch for Mountain Parks provides bilingual service (French and English), 365 days/year, 24-hour Radio Dispatch and VOIP Radio and Phone Dispatch, supporting the following locations: Lake Louise; Banff, Yoho, Kootenay, Jasper, Waterton, La Mauricie, and Forillon National Parks; Mingan National Park Reserve; and, Saguenay–St. Lawrence Marine Park. | $1.0M | Parks Canada is a first responder government Agency. Mission-critical radio communications are paramount for visitor and staff safety and Parks Canada employs its Dispatch Console on a daily basis across the country. The radio dispatch centres and dispatchers are the key to coordinating a quick and effective response in emergency situations related to fires, rescues, safe helicopter operations and tracking, winter road maintenance, law enforcement, wildlife management, avalanche control mitigation, natural disasters, marine emergencies and lone worker situations.This project will upgrade the aging dispatch equipment at both the Banff and Jasper Dispatch Centres. |
| Trans-Canada Highway roadway rehabilitation | Banff National Park | $11.3 M | Two sections of the Trans-Canada Highway in Banff National Park between Castle Junction and Lake Louise will undergo necessary roadway paving and associated improvements, which could include fencing, retaining walls, culverts and shoulder widening, as required. To support sustainability, asphalt materials will be recycled where possible. |
| Highway 11 roadway rehabilitation | Banff National Park | $4.3 M | A 6.3km section of Highway 11 in Banff National Park will undergo extensive renovations to stabilize the adjacent slopes, re-pave the surface and possibly replace guardrails and culverts, and remove an old kiosk island to improve road safety. The project is expected to start in 2023 and traffic will be affected during construction. |
| Highway 93 South roadway renovation | Kootenay and Banff National Parks | $10.4 M | Parks Canada will renovate various aspects of Highway 93 South from Banff National Park through Kootenay National Park to improve visitor and wildlife safety on this critical roadway. The project will include avalanche mitigation measures, culvert and bridge replacement and rehabilitation, and slope and retaining wall stabilization. It will also improve highway safety by widening shoulders, adding passing lanes, enhancing wildlife fencing, improving intersections, and repairing the road surface. These projects will begin in spring 2023 and traffic will be impacted for the duration of construction in various locations. |
| Icefields Parkway / 93 North roadway rehabilitation | Banff and Jasper National Parks | $11.3M | A section of the Icefields Parkway near Poboktan Creek in Jasper National Park requires reconstruction to address a freeze-thaw resiliency deficit and improve geohazard mitigations. This project will address the ongoing disruption to the roadway and improve roadway safety. The Nigel Creek Bridge in Banff National Park will undergo repairs and reconstruction to its south western abutment and the supporting slope will be further netted to provide erosion protection and sustain the life of the bridge while improving roadway travel. To support sustainability, asphalt materials will be recycled where possible. |
| Snaring and Moberly Bridges design work | Jasper National Park | $1.7M | This funding provides for design work to be completed in the winter of 2023 for the Snaring and Moberly bridges to inform future work requirements. Snaring Bridge is found on Snaring Road between Snaring Campground (bookable sites) and Snaring Overflow (first come, first serve sites). Moberly Bridge is located along Maligne Lake Road where it crosses over the Athabasca River |
| Trans-Canada Highway roadway rehabilitation | Yoho National Park | $9.0M | The Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho National Park between the communities of Lake Louise and Field will be re-paved to improve roadway conditions and visitor safety. The project may also include adding fencing, retaining walls, and culverts, where needed. To support sustainability, asphalt materials will be recycled where possible. The project is expected to start in 2023. |
| Forillon National Park | $9.8 | To restore and present the heritage houses of Grande-Grave’s expropriated families, an iconic sector of the national park | |
| Trent-Severn Waterway National Historic Site | $74M | To ensure critical flood mitigation for regional communities and provide for safe navigational experiences for Canadians to connect with nature |