Alberta government creating new all season resorts at Castle, Nakiska, Fortress
Global News
Alberta's provincial government has announced the creation of three new all-season resort areas that it claims could generate thousands of jobs and billions in economic benefits.
The Alberta government has announced the creation of three new all-season resort areas in the province that it claims could create thousands of jobs and billions of dollars in other economic benefits.
While there are already all-season resorts in Banff and Jasper National Parks, the designation of Castle, Fortress and Nakiska as all-season resorts will be the first ones on provincial lands in Alberta.
As part of the change in designation, the boundaries of some provincial parks have also been adjusted.
Alberta’s Minister of Tourism and Sport, Andrew Boitchenko, announced the changes during a news conference in Edmonton on Wednesday.
Boitchenko claimed the changes will remove red tape that has restricted the resorts to winter operations and limited their ability to make facility upgrades or simply maintain existing facilities.
He said the new all-season resorts could also help reduce some of the pressure from the recent boom in visitation to the national parks by providing alternative recreational opportunities such as “hiking, mountain biking, zip lining and authentic Indigenous opportunities.”
However, any future developments, he claims, will be subject to environmental impact assessments and must must meet all existing environmental standards.
“To be clear, designation is not approval of development. It is just a start of the regulatory process,” said Boitchenko.
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