Parks Canada delays decision on private glacier walkway
Posted Jan 31, 2012 2:17 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
Parks Canada has asked for more time before coming to a decision on a controversial glacier walkway in Jasper National Park.
Officials in the Superintendent’s office tell 660News they requested the delay in hopes of being able to study more than 2,200 formal submissions from the public.
Opponents are claiming victory and are celebrating the announcement as good news.
Critics charge the addition of a privately owned walkway could trigger a dangerous precedence in regards to future national parks.
WildCanada Conservation Alliance Executive Director Jim Pissot says it appears officials may now be bowing to public pressure.
“It’s an indication that the strong opposition to this proposal has garnered the attention of both the Superintendent, and I would suppose, the Minister of Environment,” says Pissot.
The environmentalist says Canadians do not want to see a “Vegas-themed” attraction inside Jasper.
The walkway would jut out over the Sunwapta Valley along the Icefields Parkway.
178,000 signatures have been gathered on a petition by Avaaz.org in hopes of seeing the project denied.
Parks Canada says it will not officially comment on the project until a final decision is made.
