Scott Hayes | [email protected]
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
It was a good and valuable event, says Parks Canada of its Annual Public Forum held on April 19.
It was the first time that the event had returned to its in-person format in four years, and the input that Parks Canada gained from attendees and respondents is still being evaluated.
鈥淚t does provide an opportunity for Parks Canada to share highlights from the past year and priorities for the year ahead, and to have dialogue with participants,鈥� said Amy Cairns, integrated land use policy and planning manager.
鈥淲e truly appreciate and value the feedback we receive, because it does help shape the work that we do in the coming year.鈥�
The annual event gives Parks Canada the opportunity to report on its progress towards its goals and objectives as outlined in its Management Plan. It also encourages members of the public to speak about their priorities for the coming year.
Topics included visitation, caribou management, Indigenous relations, and wildfire among others. The room was set up with booths on each topic and Parks representatives stationed at each to receive questions and provide feedback.
Parks offered a snapshot of responses that it received. Some of the issues and challenges that people associated with increasing visitation in Jasper included sufficient infrastructure and maintenance, increased human-wildlife conflict and enforcement of infractions.
On the opposite side, when people were asked what they thought were the opportunities associated with increasing visitation, they responded with increased interpretation, improved signage and increased cell coverage.
Respondents also made suggestions on what they thought should be Parks Canada鈥檚 priorities for improvements to accessibility and inclusivity, how Parks could make alternative transportation more attractive and the criteria that should be used to prioritize maintenance on the extensive trail network in Jasper National Park.
Cairns said that Parks received a lot of really good input from the conversations with members of the public.
鈥淚 think for us, what we really valued was the opportunity for the one-on-one dialogue with participants. It allowed us to understand the issues and concerns of the public.鈥�
鈥淚t really solidified the direction the management plan set out,鈥� said Janelle Verbruggen, Parks Canada communications officer with the Jasper Field Unit.
鈥淚t gave us confirmation that we captured what was heard building that management plan and that the direction that was set up for the next 10 years did reflect what residents and visitors want to see from the Park.鈥�
Approximately 50 people attended the 2023 Annual Forum, a decrease from nearly 75 for the 2018 event. There were, however, more than 10 requests for the recording of Jasper Field Unit Superintendent Alan Fehr鈥檚 presentation. People can still request the recording by sending an email to [email protected].听
鈥淕iven that this was our first in-person event following a lot of pivoting happening during the worst of the COVID pandemic, we are pleased with the turnout of this event and the opportunity it afforded for direct dialogue and hoping we can continue to build on that for next year too,鈥� Cairns said.
