Y2Y president and chief scientist Dr. Jodi Hilty wrote this opinion piece originally published in the Calgary Herald on Dec. 28, 2024.
Albertans value their outdoor pursuits and places. From the foothills to the boreal forest, deep river valleys to desert badlands, many of us connect with nature in a big way.
The Rocky Mountains, especially, attract outsized attention and deliver outsized economic impact. Despite covering just 7.4 per cent of Alberta’s land and being home to two per cent of the population, the Rockies generate 25 per cent of Alberta’s tourism revenue.
But even within the Rockies, tourism is concentrated in places that provide access to large, intact protected areas. Much of this is built on parks, the foundation of visitor expectations in Alberta.
This focused attention on a handful of mountain communities comes at a cost. Our top destinations of Jasper, Banff and Canmore are among Canada’s most expensive places to live. They’re plagued by overdevelopment, traffic, labour shortages and unaffordable housing.
At the same time, resource towns such as Crowsnest Pass and Hinton struggle to make tough economic decisions about how to thrive in a changing world.
This disparity reflects a distribution problem. If there was a clear plan to add more parks in more places, it would help spread the tourism-related wealth that parks produce, while reducing pressure in places that are grappling with overcrowding and visitor management challenges.
So, how do we protect our most treasured ecological gems while also supporting economic growth?
On Dec. 5, the Alberta government passed Bill 35, the All-Season Resorts Act. This legislation will create a new regulator within the Ministry of Tourism and Sport to manage applications for all-season resorts on provincial public land. It will consolidate processes for environmental assessments, land-use planning and Indigenous engagement under one authority.
The province aims to nearly triple tourism revenue by 2035, targeting $4 billion annually from nature-based tourism. While diversifying tourism beyond the usual hot spots is a goal worth applauding, the approach outlined in Bill 35 raises concerns.
So, how do we protect our most treasured ecological gems while also supporting economic growth?
An increase in tourism must be matched with an increase in parks and protected areas. As written, Bill 35 risks damaging the very natural features that Albertans hold dear: thriving wildlife, clean water and intact landscapes.
These are not only crucial for tourism but also essential for the health and livability of our communities. If tourism grows without increasing protections, it will exacerbate crowding in already strained areas and deepen inequalities between Alberta’s mountain communities.
These changes also sideline the departments responsible for protecting ecological integrity and our most treasured assets. Instead of relying on Environment and Protected Areas, or Forestry and Parks to guide development, decision-making would shift to Tourism and Sport, replacing ecological expertise with tourism-driven priorities.
There is still a chance to address the most pressing effects of this bill. If the province wants to develop public lands with resorts, ski hills, spas and other amenities, there must be a clear plan and action to protect more wildlife habitats and corridors.
From a budgetary standpoint, keeping these lands intact is the most cost-effective investment we can make. Restoring landscapes is more expensive, takes more time and resources, and is unlikely to completely recover what is lost.
Alberta’s Rocky Mountains are a key part of the largest wild mountain region on the planet. Preserving these distinctive landscapes offers our greatest long-term value and benefit. It also guards against the effects of climate change and creates more resilient landscapes.
If Alberta hopes to draw billions of dollars in revenue from its public lands, reinvesting in the health of those lands is critical. Expanding parks and protected areas would better distribute visitation, minimize environmental effects and share economic benefits with more communities.
If we choose to, we can work together to build a made-in-Alberta approach that leads the way in sustainable tourism. By prioritizing protecting the Rockies, we can create a model where tourism supports conservation — which then supports thriving communities.
Let me be clear. This isn’t about rejecting development.
It’s about saying yes to smart, sustainable growth that benefits both people and nature. It’s about creating a plan for people and nature. Together we can prove that ecological and economic harmony is possible.
Together we can show the world that mountains are in our nature.
Jodi Hilty is the president and chief scientist of the Canmore-based Yellowstone to Yukon Conservation Initiative.
