‘We would consider (the parks) to be the crown jewel of Alberta. But they’re very full, and there isn’t a lot of room for growth in the parks,’ Tourism and Sport Minister Joseph Schow said
Coming off a year that saw Alberta attempt to prevent its national parks from popping at the seams, the province is looking to double its tourism economy by the end of the decade.
But Tourism and Sport Minister Joseph Schow also noted skepticism at the concept of a Calgary-Banff rail link, which is currently sitting in the design phase and received $3 million this year for a feasibility study.
The most recent data show tourists spent $10.7 billion in 2022, surging $600 million ahead of pre-pandemic numbers. With tourism in full swing, the province is targeting $20 billion in tourist spending, Schow said in a year-end interview.
“Our next step is to look into 2030, 2035, and . . . have our visitor economy spending $ 20 billion annually,” Schow said.
On a potential Calgary-Banff rail connection, Schow said he’s concerned there’s little room to grow within parks to accommodate a new influx of travellers. Earlier this year, the province put $3 million toward a feasibility study after Liricon Capital proposed building a rail link between Calgary International Airport and Banff Train Station.
The link is estimated to cost $1.5 billion to build. Premier Danielle Smith wrote a letter in November 2022 to Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek expressing interest in extending the proposed airport railway to Banff.
“We would consider (the parks) to be the crown jewel of Alberta. But they’re very full, and there isn’t a lot of room for growth in the parks,” Schow said.
“Things like accommodations and finding new products is almost a no-go and, as a result of that, the parks are becoming very full. People are avoiding the parks in some instances because it’s hard to get in, it’s hard to do much once you’re there.”
Parks Canada decided in February to close Moraine Lake Road to personal vehicles — an explicit effort to limit the number of cars trying to access the small parking lot near Moraine Lake.
In early August, Parks Canada temporarily closed Lake Louise because traffic congestion was preventing emergency vehicles from entering the hamlet.
The congestion within Alberta’s provincial and national parks has prompted the ministry to focus on developing tourism opportunities “around the province” to disperse crowds, Schow said.
But he also acknowledged the province’s mountains are “never going to be less popular.” He said he hopes locations such as Banff and Jasper build out more four-season resorts.
“If word got to international communities that, ‘Oh, I went to these areas and it was really hard to navigate’ — I want to make sure Alberta never gets that reputation.”
Schow cited Métis Crossing, an Indigenous cultural interpretive centre with a luxury hotel, camping and domes for Northern Lights viewing, as an example of attractions outside the parks that it’s focused on. The centre is 1.5 hours northeast of Edmonton and is the site of a $13-million solar project.
“This is the kind of stuff Travel Alberta has invested in, and we’ve felt international markets are very interested in, especially with the northern lights.”
Calgary is also continuing to see the tourism economy bounce back from the pandemic, with a handful of major milestones for the sector within sight.
Top of that list is the expanded BMO Centre, slated to open in 2023 and seen as the city’s stepping-stone to competing with Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal for convention capacity — though the area still lacks a major hotel near it. Schow said the BMO Centre will “be huge” for Alberta.
As of November, Calgary had also seen eight straight months of record numbers of hotel rooms being used, according to outgoing Calgary Tourism president and CEO Cindy Ady.
“I actually, in 20 years, haven’t seen numbers like this,” Ady said at the time, adding the tourism agency will release its 10-year strategy in the coming months.
TORONTO – Strength in the base metal and technology sectors helped Canada’s main stock index gain almost 100 points on Friday, while U.S. stock markets also climbed higher.
The S&P/TSX composite index closed up 93.51 points at 23,568.65.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was up 297.01 points at 41,393.78. The S&P 500 index was up 30.26 points at 5,626.02, while the Nasdaq composite was up 114.30 points at 17,683.98.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.61 cents US compared with 73.58 cents US on Thursday.
The October crude oil contract was down 32 cents at US$68.65 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was down five cents at US$2.31 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$30.10 at US$2,610.70 an ounce and the December copper contract was up four cents US$4.24 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
OTTAWA – Statistics Canada says wholesale sales, excluding petroleum, petroleum products, and other hydrocarbons and excluding oilseed and grain, rose 0.4 per cent to $82.7 billion in July.
The increase came as sales in the miscellaneous subsector gained three per cent to reach $10.5 billion in July, helped by strength in the agriculture supplies industry group, which rose 9.2 per cent.
The food, beverage and tobacco subsector added 1.7 per cent to total $15 billion in July.
The personal and household goods subsector fell 2.5 per cent to $12.1 billion.
In volume terms, overall wholesale sales rose 0.5 per cent in July.
Statistics Canada started including oilseed and grain as well as the petroleum and petroleum products subsector as part of wholesale trade last year, but is excluding the data from monthly analysis until there is enough historical data.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
TORONTO – Canada’s main stock index was up more than 150 points in late-morning trading, helped by strength in the base metal and energy sectors, while U.S. stock markets were mixed.
The S&P/TSX composite index was up 172.18 points at 23,383.35.
In New York, the Dow Jones industrial average was down 34.99 points at 40,826.72. The S&P 500 index was up 10.56 points at 5,564.69, while the Nasdaq composite was up 74.84 points at 17,470.37.
The Canadian dollar traded for 73.55 cents US compared with 73.59 cents US on Wednesday.
The October crude oil contract was up $2.00 at US$69.31 per barrel and the October natural gas contract was up five cents at US$2.32 per mmBTU.
The December gold contract was up US$40.00 at US$2,582.40 an ounce and the December copper contract was up six cents at US$4.20 a pound.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Companies in this story: (TSX:GSPTSE, TSX:CADUSD)
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
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