Parks Canada receives additional funding commitment!

Parks Canada has indicated that on a national level it would take $140 million annually to maintain its current infrastructure asset base. Last year it budgeted $40 million. The 2005 Budget recently announced includes a phased in re-investment to Parks Canada infrastructure assets of $209 million over five years. This year the increase is $11 million. In 2009 the allocation is $75 million with that amount added to the budget each year following. This would still leave a $25 million dollar shortfall from the $140 million required. This shortfall is to be recovered by an increase in Park fees. The estimated time to recover from the last ten years of insufficient funds is 10 to 15 years in the future.

The budget also included $60 million over five years for ecological integrity and thereafter $15 million per year will be added to the park budget permanently for EI. The budget results are due in large part to support from Park users throughout Canada.

The increased funding means that Parks Canada will be able to protect and present national parks, sites and marine conservation areas. With this funding PC will start to rehabilitate the visitor facilities and interpretive assets, protect Canada's historic sites, parks and marine conservation areas, protect the ecological integrity of these special places and complete and maintain the Canadian Register of Historic Places.