Last month AMPPE was pleased to be present as Terry Duguid, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, as he announced funding for infrastructure upgrades to the tune of $71 million. The funding that was announced last week is part of a larger $557M funding envelope that was released in November, 2022. Of the $557 million, the Mountain Parks will receive $71 million–or almost 13 per cent of the funds earmarked for infrastructure across Canada’s National Parks.
Here’s what this funding will cover:
- Lake Louise sewer and water rehabilitation- new funding: $12.1M
- Lake Louise Drive rehabilitation and modernization – Estimated total: $9.8M
- Parks Canada’s Dispatch Console System replacement -$1M
- Trans-Canada Highway roadway rehabilitation (Banff) $11.3 M
- Highway 11 roadway rehabilitation – $4.3 M
- Highway 93 South roadway renovation – $10.4
- Icefields Parkway / 93 North roadway rehabilitation – $11.3M
- Snaring and Moberly Bridges design work – : $1.7M
- Trans-Canada Highway roadway rehabilitation – $9.0M
While this funding will complete some welcome upgrades, especially for Lake Louise Road, it mostly only manages to repair infrastructure that is long past its expiry date. Much more will be needed to create something new. As Parks Canada works on its planned transportation strategy and visitor centres in Banff and Jasper AMPPE will continue to push for additional funding in the near future.