Parks Canada budget falls as assets remain in poor condition

The capital budget for Canada’s national parks and historic sites is being cut by more than two-thirds this year.

The cuts come even as more than 30 per cent of the agency’s assets remain in poor or very poor condition.

The government is putting 138 million dollars into capital projects at Parks Canada this year. That is down nearly 70 per cent from 2021.

Parks Canada is also coming off a second year of lost revenues thanks to COVID-19’s effect on visitor numbers.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said a “time-limited” infrastructure program for the agency to bring its assets up to par has ended.

Parks Canada says it spent 4.2 billion dollars since 2015 when more than half of the agency’s assets were assessed at poor or very poor condition.