Dear Editor,
Is there no end to the demands of commercial interests to grab a piece of paradise and destroy it forever? This time it’s Maligne Lake, the crown jewel of this glorious park.
Sure, Fred Brewster and his successors had cabin accommodations at Maligne Lake. They had to: it was a long trip from Jasper by car, boat and horse via Medicine Lake and even longer by horse over Shovel Pass. But with the road completed in 1969, the trip took little more than an hour, so Parks Canada ended overnight accommodation at the lake, exchanging it for a 42-year lease and a permit to build the day lodge.
The magnificent scenery and wildlife of the valley attract hundreds of thousands of visitors each year. Through the seasons, all the prey species including woodland caribou, listed as ‘threatened’ under the Species at Risk Act, and all the predators including grizzlies, listed as ‘threatened’ in Alberta, move through the area—and they need lots of room.
Over the past 20 years the present owner of Maligne Tours has tried to get Parks to allow overnight accommodation again, even taking Parks officials to court in 2000. But the agency stuck to its guns, firm in its belief that nightly disturbance at the lake and increased traffic on the Maligne Lake Road through a wilderness area would adversely affect wildlife.
Intensive lobbying by commercial interests to the federal government has forced Parks Canada to refocus the direction of the recent 2010 Jasper Park Management Plan. While attempting to assure Canadians that ecological integrity is still top priority, Parks is unable to make research-based decisions because of major underfunding by the government. Instead of the prescriptive action found in past plans this one is full of strategic vagueness and ‘warm, fuzzy’ wording—thereby avoiding accountability.
But there was nothing vague or fuzzy about one key action in the 2009 draft Management Plan: “Prohibit new overnight commercial visitor accommodation in the Maligne Valley.” However, in the final approved 2010 version that statement had been removed. At whose insistence?
Maligne Tours already has the lion’s share of this valley with its day lodge, tour boat operation, and licenses of occupation at the Brewster Chalet and Spirit Island. Now it wants overnight accommodation. Leading to what in the future? A five-star hotel and convention centre? Look what happened at Lake Louise.
Parks Canada, don’t give in. This national park is under your stewardship to protect for the Canadian people. It is your legacy for the youth of tomorrow. This protected remnant of Canada’s wilderness—part of a United Nations World Heritage Site—must not be sacrificed to the demands of commercial interests.
Jill Seaton
Jasper Environmental Association
