Alberta Environment and Parks (AEP) Minister Jason Nixon announced the details of a Kananaskis Conservation Pass on April 27th. The pass will help pay for conservation, public safety, and services. It will take effect starting on June 1, 2021.
Bragg Creek Trails (BCT) is pleased to see that trail stewardship and access to public lands continues to be a focus of this government during a time of provincial financial constraint. The pledge to reinvest 100% of the collected fees back into K-Country infrastructure and services in response to the increased public demand will ensure the long term sustainability of this precious area.
In his address, Minister Nixon mentioned maintaining partnerships with nonprofit organizations such as BCT. BCT is dedicated to trail and environmental stewardship activities and relies heavily on grants and donations to operate. It is reasonable to expect that implementation of a user fee will result in most of that private funding to BCT evaporating.
The details around how partnership agreements will be implemented and funded moving forward have not been discussed with us yet. We look forward to building this new model with AEP to ensure the existing services provided by BCT remain sustainable well into the future. As the details become available, BCT will provide further updates to all BCT members and donors.
Sincerely,
Conrad Schiebel
BCT President
As a frequent user of WBC in all seasons, I will continue to donate in addition to the new park fees.