The province plans to fully or partially close, or sell many of its provincial parks.
The Alberta government released a list of 20 parks slated for full or partial closures and expects to handover 164 parks to the public, Indigenous, non-profits, and other third-party groups.
Part of the recently released Alberta Budget, the cuts save the province $5-million and release nearly 16,000 hectares of land.
A spokeswoman for Environment Minister Jason Nixon, Jess Sinclair said it’s necessary to subsidize and modernize a financially struggling parks system.
The government website stated Alberta could focus on its many “crown jewels” of historic and ecological significance.
Crow Lake Provincial Park is one of the 20 parks closing its doors.
Located near Wandering River, the 786-hectare park is one of 11 the Alberta government will close.
It’s also as the second-largest park listed to suffer this fate.
A partial closure will come to the Engstrom Lake Provincial Recreation Area nearly 35 kilometres south of Anzac.
The province announced they will prohibit overnight camping and campfires on the grounds.
The Alberta government projects further declines in parks spending over the next three years.
Premier Jason Kenney said his government would balance the budget by the end of his first term.
This report includes excerpts from The Canadian Press first published on Feb. 28, 2020.
