Meet Parks Canada's new reservation system, from the same makers as the old system
CBC
The "new platform" for online campsite reservations that Parks Canada plans to launch next month is actually based on software from the same company it had issues with several years ago, when the booking system crashed and would-be campers complained of lost reservations.
At the same time, the federal government is — once again — seeking a company to provide a brand-new booking system to be launched sometime after 2023.
For years, Parks Canada has been tweaking its system to better handle reservations at popular destinations — particularly Banff National Park — where demand for many campsites far outstrips supply.
Tens of thousands of would-be campers typically rush to make reservations the moment bookings open. That rush overwhelmed the online system in 2019 and then again in 2020.
A company called Camis made the software that buckled under the weight of all those eager campers.
Those problems were later alleviated by the introduction of a virtual waiting room, which assigned users a random spot in line and only allowed a certain number through at a time.
But reports of other glitches persisted, as did concerns over large-scale corporate bookings and the potential for people using automated computer scripts to gain an unfair advantage over ordinary users.
After the experience in 2020, the federal government asked five companies to bid on a contract for a brand-new booking system for Parks Canada.
In December 2020, an American firm called US eDirect was awarded an $11.2-million contract to provide a new system.
The federal government noted it had the "best overall proposal" with the "highest combined rating of technical merit and price."
The deal included a term of six years, plus an option to renew for another five years after that.
"Being selected to work with Parks Canada is an incredible honour," Tony Alex, the company's president and CEO, said at the time. "We are excited to begin this journey."
That journey ended a year and a half later, when the contract was terminated for reasons that haven't been made public.
Parks Canada wouldn't say why the contract ended, referring questions to the federal department responsible for procurement.
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