Alberta seeks partners for 164 parks to focus spending on ‘high value areas’

EDMONTON — The Alberta government wants to hand off management of 164 provincially run parks to outside groups.

The move was hinted at in yesterday’s budget and confirmed by a spokeswoman for Environment Minister Jason Nixon.

Jess Sinclair says the United Conservative government will begin looking for partners to run the parks in May.

She says the government is subsidizing a financially struggling parks system that needs to be modernized.

Budget documents say some provincial parks will in the future by run by everyone from municipalities and Indigenous groups to non-profit societies.

The documents say that will allow the province to focus its funding on “high-value areas.”

The government has budgeted for a slight decline in parks spending over the next three years.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 28, 2020

The Canadian Press

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