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Banff National Park\u2019s superintendent said walking his dog off-leash \u2014 a violation of the Canada National Parks Act \u2014 was an “isolated, lapse in judgment.”<\/p>\n
First reported in the Rocky Mountain Outlook on Oct. 8<\/a> with a photo, the Bow Valley newspaper broke news that Sal Rasheed was caught walking his dog Max off-leash on the Tunnel Mountain trail in Banff.<\/p>\n Rasheed admitted to CBC News that the incident happened, but said his \u201ccommitment to Parks Canada\u2019s mandate remains unchanged\u201d and \u201cit has reinforced the importance of leading by example.\u201d<\/p>\n Rasheed, who has had the superintendent role of Canada\u2019s premier national park since 2022 and has been acting executive director of Alberta\u2019s national parks since last year, said he\u2019ll \u201ccontinue to support the agency\u2019s efforts to protect wildlife, visitors and the ecological integrity of our national parks.\u201d<\/p>\n In a statement, Jennifer Burnell with Parks Canada\u2019s national communications team said the federal agency was aware of the photo of Rasheed with an off-leash dog.<\/p>\n Burnell said Parks Canada expects everyone to follow the rules, and the agency underwent an internal review as a result of the report.<\/p>\n \u201cParks Canada is satisfied that the matter was appropriately addressed,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Neither Rasheed nor Burnell said what action \u2014 if any \u2014 was taken. Burnell said those details won\u2019t be shared publicly. <\/p>\n Burnell said the federal agency promotes “compliance with park regulations\u201d through education, awareness and enforcement when it\u2019s deemed necessary.<\/p>\n Any person violating the regulation doesn\u2019t face a criminal charge, but can be issued a fine of up to $25,000.<\/p>\n The Alberta courts told CBC News that no charges have been filed as of Oct. 8.<\/p>\n \u201cWhile individual lapses in judgment can occur, they do not change Parks Canada\u2019s commitment to protecting places such as Banff National Park for future generations,\u201d Burnell said.<\/p>\n Parks Canada acting CEO and senior vice-president of transformation Andrew Campbell told CBC News he was away and deferred questions to Parks Canada vice-president of operations Jewel Cunningham, who has not yet responded.<\/p>\n Banff field unit external relations manager Natalie Fay and press secretary for the federal Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature Amy Falkner have not yet responded to requests for comment from CBC News. <\/p>\n WATCH | Dogs can increase risk of conflict between people and bears, warns study: Dogs can increase risk of conflict between people and bears: study<\/p>\n The Journal of Wildlife Management recently published a study looking at more than 300 conflicts between dogs and bears. They found dogs started more than half those conflicts, and five people and 56 dogs died.Off-leash dogs can increase wildlife conflict: study<\/p>\n In July, a high-profile incident<\/a> led to an American woman pleading guilty to having her dog off-leash on the trail to Taylor Lake when she encountered a grizzly bear.<\/p>\n The female grizzly bear showed no aggression and was walking down the trail as the small dog barked and Brook Koski recorded the incident on her phone. Her husband, Kraig Koski, had bear spray ready to deploy and yelled at the bear the entire time.<\/p>\n Brook Koski pled guilty and was fined $1,500<\/a>.<\/p>\n A peer-reviewed study<\/a> found an off-leash dog significantly increases the potential of bad encounters with bears. It analyzed 326 conflicts involving dogs and bears from 1901 to 2023, and incidents with off-leash dogs compared to leashed dogs was six to one.<\/p>\n Parks Canada frequently warns people about the need to have dogs on leash. On Banff National Park\u2019s Facebook page, there have been 26 posts advising people this year of the importance of keeping their dogs on leash. The last post was Oct. 7 with regards to elk rutting season<\/a>.<\/p>\n WATCH | A viral clip of a bear encounter in Banff National Park: 2 hikers and dog encounter grizzly bear in Banff National Park<\/p>\n A clip of a video posted to the TikTok account twohumanstwodogs shows a close grizzly bear encounter on a hiking trail in Banff National Park. Parks Canada has charged the two hikers because their dog was off-leash.\u2018Enhanced dog restrictions\u2019 in national parks recommended: internal report<\/p>\n Additional dog restrictions in Banff National Park have been discussed for years.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/1791514696_464_default.jpg\")
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