The federal budget that was passed last week contains no new funding for Parks Canada. Rather, the government reiterated its promise to spend billions of dollars upgrading infrastructure in national parks over the next six years.
In November, the federal government announced it would spend $2.6 billion to build and maintain infrastructure in national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas across the country. The money is part of a larger plan by the conservative government to spend $5.8 billion on infrastructure projects over the next six years.
“There is nothing new in the budget for national parks, either for new parks or protecting existing ones,” said Alison Woodley, the national parks program director for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS).
“It’s disappointing given the significant cuts that have been made to Parks Canada,” she said, referencing the deep cuts the agency sustained in 2012.
“That being said, the infrastructure investment that was announced last November is important. Parks Canada has had a huge infrastructure deficit for many, many years, so this new money will allow them to upgrade roads, buildings, campgrounds and bridges.”
The new budget did not state how much money is specifically earmarked for Parks, but according to its own budgetary estimates the agency expects to spend $737.3 million in 2015-16, although the exact amount won’t be known until next year.
This past fiscal year Parks spent $671 million, according to budget estimates published by the Treasury Board in February.
Based on these imprecise numbers it would appear Parks’ overall budget is slated to increase by 9.8 per cent in 2015-16.
To put it in context, Parks spent $525 million in 2005-06. Taking inflation into account, that is an 8.4 per cent increase over the past 10 years.
Despite the increase, funding has been inconsistent over the past decade, as the agency witnessed in 2012 when more than 600 jobs were cut across the country, including 41 positions in Jasper.
Parks has also been saddled with more responsibilities, including the creation of new national parks, such as Rouge National Urban Park, near Toronto, which is estimated to cost $14 million a year until 2022.
In addition, Parks has also been stretching its dollars to take care of $15-billion worth of assets that it describes to be in “poor to very poor condition.”
November’s funding announcement is in addition to $391.5 million, over five years, announced by the government in 2014. That money will be spent on urgent improvements needed for highways, bridges and dams located in national parks and along historic canals.
“The agency will restore irreplaceable historic places, renew visitor facilities like trains, campgrounds and visitors centres, and strengthen Canadians’ connections with our spectacular array of special natural and historic places,” wrote Greg Fenton, field unit superintendent for Jasper National Park, in an email.
Despite both funding announcements, Parks does not intend to restore its workforce to 2012 levels.
At its peak, Parks employed 4,590 people across the country, according to a departmental performance report from 2011-12. Budget cuts slashed that number to 3,924 employees in 2012-13.
“Budget cuts in 2012, for example, resulted in a loss of a third of the science capacity of the agency, the school-based education programs were cancelled and there were reductions in services in visitor seasons in many national parks across the country,” said Woodley.
The latest figures suggest Parks has begun to slowly rebuild its workforce, but that number is expected to stay below 4,000 employees until at least 2016-17.
Paul Clarke
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