Jasper National Park Management Plan 2022

Key highlights from the second phase of the consultation:

• 2.4K individuals visited our online website
• 1000+ comments were provided through our online survey and ideas board
• 1400+ letters received
• 100 members of the public participated in 2 virtual open house
• 17 organizations provided feedback through 11 virtual discussions
• 22 different Indigenous partner groups participated in consultation activities

Many partner groups felt that there needs to be increased Indigenous presence in the park. Partners wanted more opportunities for participation in the park and to improve public awareness of their history and cultures. This could be through involvement with wildlife guardians, storytelling, interpretation, sharing culture and selling arts and crafts, and inclusion in policy and planning initiatives.

Several communities also felt that Parks Canada should facilitate an Indigenous guardian program in Jasper. With regard to interpretation, several partner communities expressed that Parks Canada should hire more Indigenous people to work in park interpretation, and more broadly ensure that Indigenous stories are being told by Indigenous voices in the park.

It was advised that increasing Indigenous presence needs to be done in a respectful way, by working with First Nations and Métis communities. Concerns were raised that Indigenous cultures are being appropriated by businesses in the park, and that Parks Canada needs to address this.

How this feedback was considered
The management plan includes direction under Objectives 2.6, 3.2 and 3.3 to increase Indigenous presence in and access to the park and to facilitate Indigenous peoples telling their own stories in the park. Parks Canada will continue to work with partners to implement this.

One community suggested that the plan should include more information on the forced removal and exclusion of Indigenous peoples from the park at the time the park was created, and the consequences of this and other prohibitive policies that resulted in a disconnection of these peoples from ancestral and familial lands.

How this feedback was considered
To honour this concern, and in recognition that the plan can act as a valuable education tool, additional detail on the forced removal and exclusion of First Nations and Métis peoples from the park was added to the plan under Sections 2.0-Significance and 3.0 – Planning Context.

Several concerns were raised with the terminology and language used in the plan. Multiple partner communities raised concerns with the use of the term “Indigenous peoples”, and felt that they did not see themselves in this term.

Another community expressed that the draft plan included wording like “considers” or “may happen” or “may inform”. They felt that language like this usually translates into exclusion, and wanted more concrete language around including Indigenous partners in processes or having more access.

How this feedback was considered
Terminology was changed to “First Nations and Métis” peoples where appropriate throughout the plan, and language was added to Section 3.0 – Planning Context to clarify that the term “Indigenous” was intended to include both First Nations and Métis peoples.

Additionally, language throughout the plan was strengthened to emphasize that Indigenous knowledges and perspectives would be included, rather than considered in decision-making.

One community raised concerns regarding cultural safety, and stated that Parks Canada needs to do more to support Indigenous interpreters and Indigenous people more broadly so that Indigenous staff, residents, and visitors feel safe to visit the park, work in the park, and carry out cultural, spiritual, and social activities in the park safely and without interference. Several communities also raised concerns about Indigenous cultures being appropriated by businesses in the park.

How this feedback was considered
A new objective and target were created (Target 4, Objective 2.2) in the management plan to facilitate work with partner communities to support Indigenous peoples feeling culturally safe in the park.

Objective 3.1, Target 4 of the plan commits Parks Canada to facilitate relationship-building between local First Nation and Métis partners and business operators. Through this process, Parks Canada will work with partners and business owners to raise awareness and address concerns of cultural appropriation.

Several communities noted that Parks Canada’s relationship with Indigenous peoples has come far since we first started working together, but that more work is needed. Many communities felt that Indigenous knowledges needed to be more integrated into park management, and that partners needed to move beyond advisory roles to participate in decision-making, rather than having the government decide for them.

How this feedback was considered
The management plan includes direction under Objectives 3.1 and throughout the plan to increase Indigenous involvement in park management, including through the integration of Indigenous knowledges into decision-making. Parks Canada will continue to work with Indigenous peoples to address common interests and work on achieving mutual goals that support healing and reconnecting to the land.

Several partner communities requested that Parks Canada share revenues with partners as an act of economic reconciliation. It was felt that revenue sharing could allow partners to develop initiatives to share more knowledge and to have a stronger presence in the park. Several partners also expressed interest in vendor opportunities, contracting opportunities, and business licences.

How this feedback was considered
While revenue-sharing is not within the legislative scope of Parks Canada’s authorities at this time, the management plan contains direction to improve business opportunities for Indigenous partners in the park under Objective 3.1. Parks Canada will work with partners to implement this.

Many partners expressed concern about the decline of caribou herds in Jasper, particularly in the Tonquin Valley. Several communities felt that public access should be limited to allow the valley to recover on its own. Many communities expressed concerns about their ability to continue to access the Tonquin area for traditional and cultural use.

How this feedback was considered
Indigenous partners, stakeholders, and the public will be consulted on a potential caribou conservation breeding and herd augmentation program in Spring/Summer 2022.

Average level of support for objectives in each strategy

• Strategy 1: 98%
• Strategy 2: 95%
• Strategy 3: 94%
• Strategy 4: 97%
• Strategy 5: 94%
• Strategy 6: 99%
• Community of Jasper: 95%
• Tonquin: 88%

Parks Canada received many comments from stakeholders and the public requesting greater specificity in the plan. They felt that sections of the plan were too vague, and wanted additional detail on how certain targets and objectives would be achieved. Many individuals expressed desires to see specific actions highlighted within the plan, such as replacing a certain bridge on a trail, detailing which indicators would be monitored against which thresholds, or implementing a visitor use management tool like user quotas.

Members of the public and stakeholders also expressed concerns that the plan did not include commitments contained within other acts, regulations, or policies. For example, it was felt that Parks Canada needed to include direction in the management plan to develop a green building strategy, when Parks Canada already has a national green building strategy that Jasper is required to adhere to.

How this feedback was considered
While minor clarifications were added where possible, the management plan was not significantly changed in response to these comments.

With the new management plan, Parks Canada has chosen to adopt a more results-based format in order to focus on desired outcomes, rather than actions. The plan lists objectives detailing what the park seeks to achieve over the next 10 years, and each of these objectives has associated targets allowing Parks Canada to measure progress towards achieving this objective.

This focus on the ‘what we want to achieve’ rather than the ‘how do we get there’ allows Parks Canada to take an adaptive management approach that responds to changing circumstances over the next decade. For example, rather than detailing specific actions for how wildfire risk will be reduced in the park, the plan instead contains a target (Target 1.5) to implement and maintain wildfire risk reduction measures, giving the park the ability to course-correct and adapt wildfire risk reduction efforts in response to the situation and in accordance with best known practices at the time.

In short, the plan is intended to provide the foundational values and principles that should be used to guide park decision-making, and not act as a year-to-year operational plan, nor a plan listing all the regulations, policies, and guidelines. A plan covering all aspects of park operations and listing all the rules that apply in the park would be far too long and have to be updated far too frequently in response to changing circumstances for it to be a product of meaningful Indigenous, stakeholder and public consultation.

Feedback received on operational concerns has been shared with the applicable managers or program areas. Individuals wishing to obtain more information or to provide feedback regarding park operations are welcome to do so at any time by contacting pc.jasper-opinion.pc@pc.gc.ca.

Many comments were received from members of the public and stakeholders expressing that existing measures to protect caribou in Jasper are insufficient, and that the commitments to caribou protection included in the draft management plan needed to be stronger. Many felt that Parks Canada should adopt a precautionary approach and urgently do ‘whatever it takes’ to protect and preserve caribou, including strengthening access restrictions to caribou habitat, though some felt that access restrictions were inappropriate.

Similarly, many stakeholders and members of the public felt that the Tonquin Valley area management strategy was too vague and required greater specificity as to how caribou would be protected.

How this feedback was considered
In recognition of the importance of caribou over the lifespan of this management plan, Parks Canada amended the draft plan to create an new objective (Objective 1.4) and targets specific to caribou protection and preservation. Additional detail regarding area closures in support of caribou protection was also added to Objective 2.7, and targets in the Tonquin Valley area management strategy were updated to clarify direction.

The plan does not include greater details on which caribou protection actions will be undertaken over the next 10 years as a decision on whether to proceed with a caribou conservation breeding and herd augmentation program has not yet been made. It will only be made following the completion of project-specific consultation in Spring and Summer 2022 with Indigenous partners, the public and stakeholders, and following the completion of a detailed impact assessment. Decisions resulting from these processes will dictate additional caribou protection actions to be taken.

Both the public and stakeholders generally felt that Jasper National Park should be a leader and champion in climate change, and that Parks Canada needed to add stronger commitments to action on climate change in the management plan.

Several stakeholder groups raised concerns that the plan did not adequately emphasize the role of the park in climate change resiliency, that the plan did not sufficiently highlight the importance of climate change, and that the plan did not commit Jasper to taking actions like developing and implementing a green fleet policy, green building policy, and a long-term climate change adaptation strategy.

Some stakeholder groups also felt that the plan should commit Parks Canada to taking actions to protect habitat and habitat connectivity under climate change.

How this feedback was considered
In response to this feedback, the plan was amended to add a statement to the park vision about resiliency being a guiding principle of conservation efforts, and to strengthen language on the role of parks like Jasper in climate change adaptation throughout the plan.

Parks Canada is encouraged by the stakeholder and public support for the development of strategies and policies to take actions on climate change issues and habitat protection. However, the direction within the management plan was not changed in response to these concerns as many of the commitments and actions suggested already exist.

For example, Jasper National Park is required to support and adhere to the federal Sustainable Development Strategy, the federal Greening Government Strategy, and national Parks Canada policies, including the Agency’s green building, fleet greening, national ecological monitoring program, and other corporate climate change initiatives.

Likewise, under the Declared Wilderness Regulations and management plan zoning, 97% of JNP is already protected as wilderness. Only limited development required for park administration, public safety and provision of basic visitor facilities, such as trails, backcountry campgrounds, alpine huts, and patrol cabins, is allowed in Jasper’s designated wilderness. Furthermore, the management plan includes direction under Objective 4.3 to facilitate Parks Canada’s work with neighbouring jurisdictions to preserve habitat connectivity.

Many stakeholder groups and members of the public raised concerns regarding visitation. Some felt that Parks Canada was excessively prioritizing environmental protection over visitation, while others felt that Parks Canada was placing undue priority on visitation at the expense of the environment.

How this feedback was considered
Parks Canada acknowledges that visitation comes with environmental impacts. As outlined in the vision of the management plan, Parks Canada seeks to continue to provide opportunities for individuals to visit and connect with Jasper National Park, while minimizing their impacts on the park’s natural and cultural heritage. Fostering this connection facilitates greater understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of parks and protected areas, thereby inspiring people to want to protect them.

Specific concerns and response
More specific feedback was received across 3 key sub-themes relating to visitation:

Increased visitor demand

Many felt Parks Canada needs to do more to respond to growing demand in Jasper National Park. There was general support for Parks Canada to introduce visitor management tools to manage visitor numbers and behaviour in Jasper, but confusion over what visitor use management would entail, and many suggestions were provided on how best to manage growing visitor demand. Many readers were supportive of the plan direction to improve active transportation and public transit.

In response to this feedback, Parks Canada revised the visitor use management objective (Objective 2.3) to clarify its intention. While many requested further detail on visitor use management, the management plan is intended to be strategic and high-level. As such, it will not include commitments to implement specific visitor use management strategies, allowing Jasper National Park to continue to implement the visitor management tools that best fit the circumstances over the 10-year lifespan of the management plan.

Park stewardship and visitor compliance

There was broad support for the concept that park visitors should take the initiative and responsibility to act as stewards of the park. It was indicated that Jasper National Park needs more staff presence on the landscape, both in terms of interpreters to educate visitors on appropriate stewardship behaviours, and in terms of strengthened enforcement activities to ensure visitors respect the park as they should.

Parks Canada agrees that the continued implementation of visitor education and compliance actions will be essential to successfully implement the objectives outlined in this management plan. However, the comment on increasing staff presence was not integrated into the management plan, as the management plan does not include operational activities like staffing levels.

Accessibility and inclusivity

Feedback was received from stakeholders that Parks Canada did not sufficiently address inclusivity and accessibility concerns in the management plan. Parks Canada agrees that greater emphasis in the plan on these concerns is needed. In response to this feedback, a new objective (Objective 2.2) and associated targets regarding accessibility and inclusivity were added to the management plan.

Trails were the subject of a high volume of comments.

Many comments were received for and against horse use, and for and against mountain biking and e-biking. Some individuals wanted to see the expansion of trails and frontcountry and backcountry campgrounds, while others felt there should be less human use of the park.

Many stakeholders and members of the public recommended that Parks Canada improve the camping reservation system and improve trail maintenance, particularly by replacing washed out bridges on remote backcountry trails.

A target under Objective 1.1 stating recreational trail connections along the North Boundary trail would be managed caused significant confusion among readers.

How this feedback was considered
In response to the many concerns made regarding trail use, Parks Canada amended the draft plan to create a new objective on trails and reunite targets previously dispersed throughout the plan under this new objective (Objective 2.4). The management plan was not changed to include more detailed direction, as the plan is intended to set out the general principles to guide trail management over the lifespan of the plan, and not to provide detailed direction on elements like trail maintenance standards for a given trail. This is to allow Parks Canada to adaptively manage trails over the next 10 years in response to changing circumstances.

Parks Canada is in the process of introducing a new national camping reservation system.

Finally, the target regarding the North Boundary trail was rewritten to clarify Parks Canada’s intent, which is ultimately to secure wildlife habitat preserving large areas of park land as wilderness.

Public and stakeholder feedback emphasized that there should be increased education for visitors about Indigenous heritage and connection to the land. They felt that Parks Canada needs to do more to tell visitors about the Indigenous cultures and peoples that were and continue to have a presence in the park. In so doing, they emphasized that Parks Canada needs to avoid tokenism. They felt that colonially-named sites should be renamed with Indigenous names, that there should be more Indigenous people represented amongst park staff, and that overall there should be greater Indigenous presence in the park.

Both the public and stakeholders also felt that the objectives and targets laid out in the plan on Strengthening Indigenous relations were generally strong. However, they cautioned that Parks Canada needs to avoid ‘lip service’ and fulfill the objectives of the plan to a greater extent than is done currently.

How this feedback was considered
Jasper National Park acknowledges the general support for its initiatives to strengthen Indigenous relations. No changes to the general direction in the plan were made, as it has included enabling language to facilitate work with Indigenous partners on these concerns in the management plan.

Parks Canada received a high volume of comments on development in Jasper National Park.

Many comments were received against privatization, against any commercial expansion, and against any expansion of the developed footprint of the park. It was felt that development like the Skywalk should not have been permitted, that there should be a moratorium on any future development, that monopolies should be prohibited, and that the guidelines outlined in the draft management plan were ‘too vague’ and opened the door to increased development.

How this feedback was considered
No changes have been made to the direction in the management plan in response to this feedback, as Parks Canada will continue to implement the limits to development established in the management plan and other legislation and policies.

As listed under Key Strategy 5 of the management, no new land will be released for overnight commercial accommodations outside of the Jasper townsite. Furthermore, as established under management plan zoning and the Declared Wilderness Regulations, 97% of the park will continue to be protected as wilderness. In addition to the commitments established in the management plan, Parks Canada will continue to enforce legislative limits to development like the cap on commercial floor area in Jasper established in the Canada National Parks Act. Parks Canada will not develop nor implement a complete moratorium on any new development, to avoid precluding a development that could lead to ecological gains.

Specific concerns and response
More specific feedback was received around the following sub-themes:

Environmental impacts of commercial activities: Comments were received critiquing the environmental impacts of commercial operators in the park. Some expressed that they felt that ‘large business can do anything.’ Many comments were received criticizing the operation of busses on the Athabasca Glacier, gas-powered boats on Maligne Lake, and snowmobiles to winter backcountry lodges. No changes were made to the plan in response to this feedback, as the management plan includes direction under Objective 5.2 to have businesses, events and activities minimize their impacts on air, water, wildlife, and noise. Parks Canada will work with operators to work to achieve this direction over the lifespan of the plan and ensure that businesses operating in the national park meet the highest environmental standards.

Length of leases and licences: Certain stakeholders expressed that the length of leases was too short, making it difficult for businesses to make improvements. No changes were made to direction in the management plan in response to this feedback. Parks Canada will continue to issue leases in accordance with the National Parks of Canada Lease and Licence of Occupation Regulations, which limits the length of leases to no more than 42 years.

Jasper Airstrip: Many comments were received from pilots and pilot’s associations against any potential closure of the Jasper Airstrip. No decisions have been made at this time to make changes to the operation of the Jasper Airstrip. As outlined under Objective 5.5 of the plan, Parks Canada will review whether the airstrip continues to be an appropriate land use in a montane grassland in a National Park, taking into account pilots’ safety concerns.

Development review process: Many expressed that there needed to be more transparency and consultation in the review of development applications. Others felt that the Parks Canada’s process to review development applications was too slow. Parks Canada is currently working to update its national land use planning regulations and policies, with the aim to create a modernized planning permit process that streamlines processes and improves transparency in decisions related to managing development.

There was general support for continuing to enforce a strict townsite boundary and preventing the commercialization of the townsite. Some felt that the restrictions on development in the Community of Jasper were too restrictive, while others felt that more restrictions were needed. These was high support for Management Area Objective 1.3, which targets the creation of more affordable housing within the community. The Municipality of Jasper requested that Parks Canada include commitments in the management plan to review limits to growth, review the limits to commercial floor area in town, remove the municipality’s land rent requirement, and transition land-use planning and development authority in the community to the Municipality.

How this feedback was considered
Parks Canada will continue to implement legislated limits to development, and to work with the Municipality to create more affordable housing. The commitments requested by the municipality are outside the scope of the park management plan, as this lies within the Minister, and not the park’s, authority, and, therefore, were not included in the plan.

Stakeholders and the public expressed that they would like to be consulted on management activities like visitor use management, human-wildlife conflict, horse use, trail management, and development of public transportation. It was also felt that Parks Canada needs to be more transparent in park management, and that Parks Canada needs to do more to collaborate with adjacent land managers to prevent outside decisions like resource extraction from affecting park ecosystems, and to work on issues of mutual importance. Finally, stakeholders expressed a strong desire to use their platforms to collaborate with Parks Canada on improving visitor stewardship of the park.

How this feedback was considered
Direction to facilitate work addressing these concerns is outlined in Strategy 4. Jasper National Park will continue to work with Indigenous partners, the public and stakeholders to ensure the way the park is managed reflects the interests of those who it is being managed for, and to collaborate with neighbouring jurisdictions on issues of mutual importance.