Amiskwaciwâskahikan | Edmonton / Mohkínstsis | Wîchîspa | Guts’ists’i | Calgary

View the Draft Plan for Parks. 

Check out our Survey Guide.

Take the Survey. 
 
July 8, 2025 — In June, the Government of Alberta released its draft Alberta Plan for Parks and launched phase 2 of its public engagement survey, giving Albertans another important opportunity to help shape the future of Alberta’s parks. CPAWS Northern and Southern Alberta are pleased to see this continued opportunity for public input and continued dialogue, which is now focused on gathering feedback on the draft plan.  

Phase 1 of public engagement, which took place in summer 2024, invited Albertans to provide input on the future of our parks system prior to the draft plan’s development. Nearly 5,000 people completed the survey, showing just how deeply Albertans care about the long-term health of our parks system.  

The summary of engagement results from phase 1 clearly shows that Albertans want nature to be protected and value the benefits that nature provides, including biodiversity, recreation, human health, and the essential ecosystem services that communities rely on.  

Key highlights from Phase 1 feedback include:  

• Strong support for the principles of Sustainability (4,205), Accountability (4,072), and Equitable Access (3,508). More than half (2,809) also supported the principle of Reconciliation, and many suggested additional guiding principles focused on conservation.  

• Widespread support (4,200) for quiet recreation activities.  

• Clear opposition to large-scale commercial development (4,104), privatized development (3,449), and increased motorized recreation (4,018).  

• A majority (3,848) expressed support for more parks to increase conservation and nature access.  

• A majority (3,780) also supported improved communication around conservation activities in parks.  

Our Take on the Draft Plan 

We believe the Phase 1 results were instrumental in shaping the current draft plan, and we commend the draft plan for including many conservation-focused components — notably, the mention of expanding Alberta’s parks network!  

Unfortunately, some key concerns remain, and the phase 2 engagement survey is an important opportunity for Albertans to stand firm on their conservation values.  

We are very concerned that the draft plan includes language that suggests a potential expansion of commercial development and other harmful activities within park boundaries. This directly contradicts the feedback received during Phase 1 and the voices of over 4,000 Albertans who sent letters opposing the All Seasons Resort Act. Recent polling commissioned by CPAWS reaffirms that conservation is a core value of Albertans, with 78% of Albertans supporting setting aside more land specifically for wildlife habitat protection.  

How Albertans Can Take Action  

The CPAWS Northern and Southern Alberta Survey Guide is a resource to navigate the questions about the draft Plan For Parks and to reiterate key concerns voiced in phase 1, including the need for more and better conservation of our province’s incredible parks.  

These are suggested responses only; we encourage you to fill out the survey as best reflects your values and opinions.  

The survey is open until July 26, 2025. Submit your response before the deadline to have your voice heard.  

View the Draft Plan for Parks. 

Check out our Survey Guide.

Take the Survey. 

For more information, please contact: 

Tara Russell 
CPAWS Northern Alberta   
trussell@cpaws.org 

Chloe Hahn 
CPAWS Southern Alberta 
chahn@cpaws.org