The province is spending $43-million to make improvements to parks across Alberta.

Premier Jason Kenney says Alberta taxpayers are footing the bill for improvements to improve trails, upgrade campgrounds, enhance day-use facilities and other infrastructure to help visitors enjoy Alberta's provincial parks while protecting the environment.

Parks have, in some cases, been overrun this spring and summer wince they were reopened with people wanting to get outdoors after being cooped up at home because of the pandemic.

A number of parks are still to be "delisted".

Environment and Parks Minister Jason Nixon says that doesn't mean they'll be closed though.

"The reality is that the majority of our special places inside this province are actually protected and managed through the Public Lands division of Alberta Environment and Parks and the smaller amount is managed through the parks system," Nixon says.

He says the conversation that's taking place across the province is for remote sites that are in the provincial parks system to be managed by local groups or agencies or to move them to other parts of the Alberta Environment and Parks system where there is staff closer to them.

Nixon says some of the parks being discussed are a three hour round trip for provincial park officers to get there to manage the campground while the whole area around it is already protected under the public lands system and is managed by public lands officers.

He says sometimes it makes more sense to use those officers to manage those areas, but he gave assurances the parks will remain accessible to Albertans.

Funding by area: 

  • Kananaskis Region Parks - $15,230,000 
  • South Region Parks - $7,208,000 
  • Northeast Region Parks - $7,195,500 
  • Central Region Parks - $4,475,000 
  • Northwest Region Parks - $2,435,000 
  • Public lands (across Alberta) - $6,156,000 
  • Provincial accessibility projects (to be determined) - $500,000