Feds open to supporting celebration

After reports that Parks Canada would focus on the 125th celebration of Banff National Park rather than celebrate the 100 years of service for park wardens, the federal agency is changing its tune, and has said they will happily work with third party organizations and local communities to help commemorate the anniversary.

Bill Fisher, the director general for western and northern Canada for Parks Canada said, that previously he had not been “clear at talking about what we’re doing at a more local level” for the celebrations.

“We’re certainly very interested in marking the 100th anniversary,” he said. “Parks Canada is just looking for appropriate ways to support the anniversary and that involves working with other groups and organizations.”

Dale Portman, a retired Park Warden and president of the park warden service alumni, began looking for support from Parks Canada back in July of 2008, but has yet to see any sign of financial or manpower support.

“We originally went to them about support and we didn’t get any,” he said adding that he’d also applied for some federal grants that had been turned down.

“Parks Canada just doesn’t want to be involved with the warden service centennial. I think they figured it would die a natural death but because of the warden alumni ... we’re still going ahead with it,” said Portman.

The lack of support doesn’t surprise Portman, who said he thinks there is a “vendetta about the warden service coming from Parks Canada in Ottawa” because of the outspoken nature of the warden service throughout history.

According to Fisher, it’s a matter of Parks working with organizations - including the alumni - to arrange ways to celebrate the service appropriately at a local level.

“We’re not trying to diminish this in any way,” Fisher said. “We’re trying to ensure that the anniversary really encompasses all the excellent work that’s been done over the past 100 years and that will continue to be done not only by this group of employees, but all of the Parks Canada employees.

“There’s a tradition here to celebrate, but we want to make sure we’re doing it in a way that fits with ... interest and requirements at a local level.”

Portman would gladly have accepted the help of Parks, but said they’ve been “standoffish and at one point they wanted to possibly give us some assistance, but they had so many strings attached to it that it become un-tenous for us to go that way.”

“From a political standpoint, they wanted us to do this, this and this - it was contrary to what we wanted to do,” he said, noting that the alumni was still waiting for a reply from the Banff superintendent about Parks working with the alumni on the arranged celebrations in September.

“We’re concerned about what kind of attachments they’re going to put on it before we can get monetary assistance or from the existing park wardens who are working in the field right now,” said Portman.

According to Fisher, Portman should have no concerns about receiving some financial assistance from Parks Canada.

“There’s certainly some opportunity to help with supporting this (financially) but it needs to be done in collaboration with other parties. It simply shouldn’t be something that is Parks Canada’s responsibility to totally fund,” he said.

But it’s not just about the money. Portman had hoped to have current wardens help out with demonstrations, or use government equipment, such as horses or helicopters, for historical public demonstrations on the work of wardens. 

“We were looking for support from wardens that are working in the fields right now to be able to do demonstrations for that period in September 11th to 13th,” he said.

While plans move along for celebration of the warden service in Banff, where the first park warden was situated, on September 11 to 13, Portman said he will just wait and see what happens. 

“But, we’re not holding our breath with regard to it,” he said.