CALGARY -- The Alberta government says changes to the Alberta Parks system have prompted them to review over 450 provincial recreation areas to determine if they should become public land or be sold or transferred.
Following the review, officials say they identified 164 sites for a proposed removal from the official Parks system. They have also said the visitor centres in Barrier Lake and Elbow Valley will be closed in order to save costs.
Jason Nixon, Alberta's minister of environment and parks, says the move is to answer the call from some Albertans willing to take a "more active role" in administering some provincial recreation areas.
"In order to facilitate this, and to renew our commitment to our ‘crown jewel’ destinations, we will be offering Albertans, non-profits and First Nations the opportunity to work with our government and with parks societies on exploring these important partnerships," he said in a release.
Officials say the sites chosen are small and "under-utilized" that would become vacant public land.
While the government says work is still underway to see if it would be best for these areas to stay as public land, there are also discussions taking place to sell or transfer the properties to First Nations groups, municipalities or non-profit groups.
"Our government has a bold vision for the tourism industry, and opening up more facilities and areas for First Nations, non-profit and private sector operation is a great way to encourage private sector investment and create jobs across Alberta as we implement our 10-year tourism strategy," said Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Tourism Tanya Fir in a release.
During Budget 2020, the government said revenue from Alberta Parks in 2018-19 was $33.4 million which was used to support operations that cost $86.1 million in the same period.
The UCP government also announced it would be closing or partially closing 20 sites in 2020 and increasing camping service fees by $3 for basic rates and $1 for sites with power, water, sewers and showers.
