Article content continued
Despite internal documents showing sell-offs were considered, and public details of the plan evolving since February, the government denies that parks will be sold.
In an interview Monday, UCP MLA Jeremy Nixon said the campaign was created to dispel what the party calls myths about its plans for provincial parks.
Nixon said he and his colleagues have been hearing concerns from constituents about parks, so they came together to put out a message that the government is still committed to conserving and protecting parks.
He said 17 remote campgrounds would revert from park land to public land to save in maintenance costs.
“The criticism has already had plenty of airtime. I think there’s a risk in us not doing anything. We need to make sure that we are communicating clearly to Albertans and assuring them that these spaces are important to us,” said Nixon.
The NDP aren’t the only ones fighting the proposed parks changes.
The Defend Alberta Parks campaign, jointly run between the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society (CPAWS) Northern and Southern Alberta Chapters and the Alberta Environmental Network, was created in September to dispel what it calls misinformation and has delivered 15,000 lawn signs across the province.
Spokesman Chris Smith said in an interview he is concerned that the UCP Caucus has failed to address criticism or clarify whether the 164 parks would be taken out of the parks system.
“There’s been no justification given as to why these parks need to be removed from the park system,” said Smith, adding that their information was derived from the government’s own releases.
