Dear Editor,
No hotel at Maligne Lake. Frankly, what鈥檚 the difference?
While Parks Canada has denied Maligne Tours鈥� request to build a luxury hotel at the lake, the other less contentious parts of the proposal have all been approved.
Some of the main objections to the hotel included the ceding of more public land to a private corporation, the impact of overnight accommodation on wildlife and the environment, the construction of more infrastructure at Maligne Lake, and the increase in staff needed to provide 24-hour services.
The parts of the proposal that have been accepted will do nothing to alleviate these concerns. The only good thing that can be said is that the tents, for example, will be less of an eyesore than a hotel. Despite Mr. Fenton鈥檚 protestations that the tents will have less of an impact, they will still require the construction of permanent pads, and more staff to take care of the guests.
If we compare the revised project to the resorts that already exist along the Athabasca south of Jasper, for example, the only difference will be that the walls and roofs of the buildings will be canvas, rather than the wood, like at Becker鈥檚 or the Alpine Village. Everything else will be the same, and we can confidently expect that within a short time there will be a new, miniature village constructed along the shores of Maligne Lake.
And let鈥檚 not kid ourselves that it鈥檚 all about 鈥渧isitor experience鈥� or getting people more involved in the parks. In spite of all the studies that say visitors come to Jasper for a pristine wilderness experience, Parks has just opened the door for a whole bunch of new ways for the Maligne Tours to make money.
It鈥檚 not surprising that Maligne Tours isn鈥檛 too unhappy with the decision.
Peter McClure
Spruce Grove, Alta.
