FAQ

Parks Canada administered places are a source of shared pride for all Canadians. They represent the very best that Canada has to offer and tell the stories of who we are, including the histories, cultures, and contributions of Indigenous peoples.

A park management plan guides management decisions and actions in each heritage place, and serves as a key public accountability document. 

Management plans are strategic in nature, based on a long-term vision, with clear direction for a 10-year period, including objectives and actions to achieve results.

Management plans are developed through extensive engagement and input from various people and organizations, including Indigenous peoples, community members and visitors. 

Parks Canada ensures that management planning and reporting decisions are made in an open and transparent manner, reflect sound financial management, contribute to Government of Canada and Parks Canada Agency’s priorities, and are results-based to allow for assessment and inform future decision-making.

Updating a management plan involves a “State of” the Park assessment, a scoping process to determine the important challenges and issues for the next 10 years, and includes opportunities for Indigenous and public engagement. The plan is then drafted, and subject to additional Indigenous and public review and comment and strategic environmental assessment, before it is finalised, approved by the Minister, tabled in Parliament and implemented. 

Parks Canada is committed to undertaking meaningful, accessible engagement on its management plans, and strives to ensure that Indigenous peoples, partners, stakeholders, and the public have opportunities to influence and contribute to Parks Canada’s priorities and direction. 

The draft management plans reflect meaningful stakeholder involvement and are built on feedback from the initial phase of Indigenous and public engagement and the success of previous plans. They are founded on the principles of openness and transparency and have carefully considered and integrated feedback from functional reviews.

Indigenous engagement provides an opportunity to increase the Indigenous voice in all aspects of park management. Parks Canada consults on management plans with Indigenous peoples who may be affected by and are interested in decisions or activities arising from the management of the park. Collaborating with numerous Indigenous groups across Canada, Parks Canada and Indigenous peoples are partners in conserving natural and cultural heritage and sharing the stories of these treasured places.

Park management plans include a vision of the park at its future best. Key strategies to achieve that vision are described, along with management objectives for the next five to ten years. Under each objective, targets describe how results will be measured over the life of the plan. Several geographic management areas are described, illustrating how strategies and objectives will be achieved in those areas.   A land-use zoning plan is included, along with a summary of any zoning changes made since the 2010 management plans were approved. Lastly, a summary of the Strategic Environmental Assessment provides an overview of the potential for cumulative effects resulting from the management plan and other factors such as climate change.

An important part of the development of any management plan is understanding the perspectives and aspirations of interested Indigenous nations, key stakeholders and Canadians. It is only by engaging with the public that Parks Canada can make sure that the future direction of the mountain national parks reflects the perspectives and aspirations of the people it is managed for. 

Parks Canada has invited interested Indigenous nations, stakeholders and Canadians to provide input on the draft park management plans for all the mountain parks for twelve weeks from April 14 to July 7, 2021. Explore the tools on each of the individual park pages to review content and provide your input. 

At the end of the first phase of engagement (spring 2019), Parks Canada reviewed all feedback and prepared a What We Heard report. The information gathered during this second phase of engagement on the draft management plans will be reviewed, analyzed, and considered as the management plans are finalized and prepared for tabling in Parliament. 

A document outlining what we heard during this second phase will be created and posted on the park websites. This report will summarize public input and show how it helped shape the final management plans.

While the new plans will build on existing policy and plan direction, they will be rewritten and updated to better address emerging issues, new knowledge and the results of engagement processes. The new plans will provide more clarity; respond to government priorities and Parks Canada Agency strategic direction; and reaffirm ecological and commemorative integrity as the first priorities.

Parks Canada will use the plan review process to continue its work with the public, partners and Indigenous groups to help advance shared goals for conservation and enjoyment of the mountain national parks. Engagement on the development of the plans presents opportunities to incorporate principles and actions respecting the Government of Canada’s commitment to reconciliation.

Parks Canada will use the plan review to reaffirm ecological integrity as its first priority in the management of national parks. To ensure it can respond to the challenges of climate change, impacts to ecological integrity, and development and commercial pressures, Parks Canada will advance and make the best use of conservation science and Indigenous traditional knowledge. This framework will safeguard these parks as treasured places for generations to come.

The management plan review process provides an opportunity for increased public and Indigenous involvement and for Parks Canada to demonstrate transparency in its decision making.