{"id":629431,"date":"2026-04-26T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2026-04-26T08:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/629431\/"},"modified":"2026-04-26T08:00:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-26T08:00:59","slug":"generational-plan-for-ghost-kananaskis-region-underway-by-alberta-government","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/629431\/","title":{"rendered":"Generational plan for Ghost-Kananaskis region underway by Alberta government"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Text<\/p>\n

Listen to this article<\/p>\n

Estimated 4 minutes<\/p>\n

The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.<\/p>\n

A critical area of land in Alberta is undergoing long-term planning that could have generational impacts across the Canadian Rockies.<\/p>\n

The Alberta government is seeking feedback on a sub-regional plan for roughly 7,000 square kilometres of Ghost-Kananaskis.<\/p>\n

The area has millions of visitors each year. It’s also a vital wildlife habitat, crucial water source for southern Alberta and key piece in the province\u2019s ambitious tourism plans to become a $25 billion annual industry by 2035<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Adam Linnard, the manager of landscape protection for Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative, said the process should consider long-term cumulative impacts.<\/p>\n

He said Ghost-Kananaskis’s proximity to national and provincial parks mean informed decisions are essential.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Paris let the Eiffel Tower collapse, people might think twice about visiting France. Banff is Alberta\u2019s Eiffel Tower. It\u2019s our iconic global draw,\u201d he said. \u201cWe support our tourism industry as a whole when we support Banff and when we support our parks and protected areas across the province.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AThe area of Ghost-Kananaskis being reviewed by the Alberta government for a sub-regional plan. (Courtesy Government of Alberta)Kananaskis, Ghost draw millions of visitors<\/p>\n

Kananaskis Country was created in 1978 under former premier Peter Lougheed. The 4,000-square-kilometre area established a vast protected region for outdoor recreation and minimal resource extraction.<\/p>\n

The Ghost region has similar protections to Kananaskis and has seen increased visitation in recent years.<\/p>\n

During the March 18 standing committee on resource stewardship at the legislature, Environment and Protected Areas Minister Grant Hunter said completing new sub-regional plans is a priority by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n

He said the Ghost-Kananaskis plan will give \u201cdirection to land users in that key portion of the eastern slopes\u201d and is about \u201cgathering information on what people value about this area and what outcomes they would like to see.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AThe view from Raspberry Ridge fire lookout in Kananaskis Country’s Cataract Creek Snow Vehicle Public Land Use Zone. (Greg Colgan\/CBC)Implementation the priority<\/p>\n

NDP Banff-Kananaskis MLA and shadow minister for environment and protected areas Sarah Elmeligi said resources to put plans in place will ultimately determine the success of the study.<\/p>\n

Elmeligi is a former planner with Alberta Parks in the Kananaskis region. She noted the Ghost region has had multiple consultations in the last two decades \u2014 including one she did as a planner \u2014 but hasn\u2019t seen changes.<\/p>\n

Elmeligi said she\u2019s concerned about a rush job and not getting proper attention.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s actually quite complicated and we need to make sure public consultation and First Nations engagement is done thoroughly.\u201d<\/p>\n

LISTEN | Alpine lakes in Kananaskis Country are changing:<\/p>\n

Radio Active6:14Alpine lakes in Kananaskis Country are changing<\/p>\n

Researchers from the University of Alberta tested several mountain lakes in Kananaskis to find out how climate change is affecting them. Rolf Vinebrooke is the prinipal investigator of the study.\u00a0He’s a professor of fresh water ecology at the University of Alberta.Visitation increasing in Ghost-Kananaskis<\/p>\n

A surge of visitation since the COVID-19 pandemic has more than five million visitors in Kananaskis and area each year.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s led to stress on the landscape and existing recreation, with more people frequenting the region than was originally planned, according to Trevor Julian, executive director of Friends of Kananaskis Country.<\/p>\n

Julian said visitation will likely increase and \u201cthere\u2019s a great need\u201d to have a plan to help deal with the growing demand and to \u201cpromote the sustainability of Kananaskis Country.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said balancing visitation, recreation use and preserving and maintaining Ghost-Kananaskis will be important.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis area is one of the most pristine beautiful environments in the country.\u2026 We want it to be there not only for people for generations, but to preserve the wildlife and to ensure it continues to be a place for people to enjoy.\u201d<\/p>\n

First phase of consultation<\/p>\n

The first phase of public consultation is open to June 5<\/a>. The second phase will start later this year.<\/p>\n

Linnard said recent decisions to change provincial park boundaries for development are a concern and took place without engagement.<\/p>\n

He added any consultation for Ghost-Kananaskis should be a “thoughtful process.”<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re seeing changes to our park boundaries. These are things that weren\u2019t supposed to be easy to change,\u201d he said. \u201cThese are things people understood to be firm and non-negotiable and we see now how negotiable, flexible and accommodating they might be in the right circumstances.\u201d<\/p>\n

WATCH | Concerned citizens set up a blockade in an attempt to stop logging in Kananaskis:\"\"<\/p>\n

Concerned citizens set up a blockade in an attempt to stop logging in Kananaskis<\/p>\n

Defenders of the Eastern Slopes set up a blockade about 140 kilometres southwest of Calgary to protest a project they say could threaten at-risk trout population. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Listen to this article Estimated 4 minutes The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":629432,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[194293],"tags":[49,2798,48],"class_list":["post-629431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-calgary","tag-ca","tag-calgary","tag-canada"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=629431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/629431\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/629432"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=629431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=629431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=629431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}