Canadian Parks Council (CPC) Meeting

Yellowknife (October 12, 2006)

Canada’s national, provincial and territorial parks create jobs and support local businesses, many of which are in Aboriginal and other rural and remote communities, according to a new report released by the Canadian Parks Council.

Canada’s Parks Ministers met yesterday in conjunction with national resource and environment council meetings taking place in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories.

The Economic Impact of Canada’s National Provincial and Territorial Parks shows that spending by parks organizations and by visitors has a substantial and recurring impact on the economy.

The report, compiled with data provided by national, provincial and territorial parks agencies, indicates that expenditures on parks by governments, combined with spending by park visitors, added $2.5 billion in value to Canada’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and generated $137 million in tax revenue to governments. A majority of the GDP ($1.6 billion) was in the form of labour income. The parks sector created many part-time seasonal and full-time jobs (the equivalent of 60,000 fulltime positions).

Canadians benefit personally from parks when they visit and enjoy them, when they learn about them indirectly through documentaries and books, and by knowing that they are there, to visit and to pass on to future generations.

Society, as a whole, also benefits from parks. As a primary means of maintaining intact natural ecosystems and preserving biodiversity, parks conserve our country’s natural capital. Parks perform ecological services such as producing clean air and water, sequestering carbon and providing critical habitat for endangered species. Spending time in parks enhances people’s physical and mental health and well-being, contributing to lower health care costs, decreased absenteeism and increased productivity.

Parks Ministers acknowledged the importance of raising awareness and understanding of the contribution parks and protected areas make to a healthy environment and, in turn, to people’s health as presented in the Healthy By Nature Communication Campaign. Parks provide unparalleled opportunities to stay active by participating in healthful outdoor activities, such as hiking, canoeing, or cross-country skiing. Inactivity is one of the key preventable risk factors affecting the health of Canadians. Equally important, parks are places to take refuge from stresses and to renew spiritual health. They are places for families to get together and for children to safely explore and learn about the natural environment. They are places communities can be proud of and identify with.

In his concluding remarks, meeting Chair, Saskatchewan Environment Minister, the Honorable John Nilson, stated: “ Canada’s parks ministers recognize the important ways parks contribute to local and regional economies, to people’s physical and spiritual well-being and to a healthier environment. By working together, through the Canadian Parks Council, our effectiveness in advancing park programs is enhanced and we are better able to both conserve Canada’s natural capital and build social capital.”

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For further information please contact:

Drew Williams
Manager, Public Affairs and Communications
Ministry of Industry Tourism & Investment
Government of Northwest Territories
Phone: (867) 920-8696
Fax: (867) 873-0645
Email: Drew_Williams@gov.nt.ca

Greg Leake
Director of Communications
Department of Environment
Government of Saskatchewan
Phone: (306) 530-0606
Email: gleake@serm.gov.sk.ca

John Good
Executive Director
Canadian Parks Council
Phone: (705) 652-9752
Email: jgood@parks-parcs.ca

Backgrounders:

   
• Research Bulletin – Economic Impact of National, Provincial and Territorial Parks
   
• Healthy by Nature
   
• Canadian Parks Council