The Alberta government has announced new boundaries for the protected areas in southwestern Alberta.
The objective of the new boundaries is to preserve over 1,000 square kilometers of mountains and foothills. Although this sounds great for our environment, many Albertans who take interest in camping and OHV riding are not pleased with the provincial government’s new decisions.

Premier Rachel Notley believes that although Albertans need places like castle mountain to enjoy and use for recreation, OHV use in the area is harming the land. The government aims to reclaim a large portion of the land, so that it can be brought back to it’s natural state.

“We are campers, we are hikers, we are mountain bikers and we are much more. We are weekend warriors to the very core, and when you work as hard as Albertans do, you need places like this — a sanctuary, a means of escape from the daily grind, a way to breathe and reconnect with nature,”

  • Rachel Notley

The new protection measures could mean that random camping and off-highway vehicle use could be completely phased out in this area over the course of three to five years.

The changes, however, will open up an opportunity for 44 new jobs to help maintain the parks, therefore providing an economic gain and creating some new jobs in the province.