Parks Canada ends search and rescue dog program

Parks Canada has ended a search and rescue dog program that dates back to the early 1970s, former handlers told CBC News, leaving Banff National Park without the service it relied on for backcountry rescues and avalanche searches.

The last search and rescue dog, a German shepherd named Leroy, retired last summer after a seven-year career, CBC reported. He helped find more than 50 people in the wilderness, located avalanche victims and recovered mountain fatalities.

A Parks Canada spokesperson told CBC the agency would respond to questions about why the program was cut, but did not provide an answer before CBC published its report. Canada News Media has not independently confirmed the decision with Parks Canada.

The program was approved in 1970 and started in Jasper National Park, according to CBC. It grew to six dogs but was slowly whittled down. The Jasper field unit stopped using dogs more than a decade ago, leaving Banff as the only park with one.

Scott Ward, a retired Parks Canada dog handler who worked as a warden for 35 years, said the service matters to visitor safety and law enforcement. “The calls are going up,” he said, adding that visitor safety staff are far busier now than in his era.

Mike Henderson, who was a dog handler in Banff from 2001 to 2019, said he understands the need to save money but that cutting the canine program could reduce safety. He said he was involved in more than 1,000 calls with his three dogs, Attila, Atar and Cazz.

Henderson and Ward told CBC the dogs did more than search for the missing. Their day-to-day work included handling illegal camping and campfires, responding to mental health calls, monitoring area closures and poaching, and removing food to keep wildlife from becoming habituated to it.

Sid Marty, who was a warden in Banff, Jasper and Yoho national parks from 1966 to 1978, said a dog could quickly find people caught in avalanches. That helps avoid rescuers being caught in a second slide during a long search, he said.

The two former handlers said a new dog had gone through about two and a half months of training to join federal service before the program was cut. Henderson said consultation should have taken place to understand what would be lost.

The 2025 federal budget included $145 million in cuts to Parks Canada over three years, CBC reported. The agency is undergoing a workforce reduction, with the full rollout of its plan expected in 2027. Parks Canada has said it is allowing people to leave or retire voluntarily to reduce the number of people who are cut.

The agency has already told thousands of employees their jobs may be affected. Canada News Media has reported on Parks Canada’s plan to cut 500 jobs and on job changes affecting 125 northern staff.

Source: CBC News, reporting by Greg Colgan (Oct. 27, 2026).

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