If you are Canadian and have ever stepped outside of a city or town, you have heard the name “Parks Canada”. These folks are responsible for protecting the land and waters of many of our parks and conservation areas, ensuring the safety of the wildlife, the flora, and the natural environment, as well as the safety of those who visit such areas. They operate patrols throughout their boundaries and enforce whatever rules apply to each location, while additionally keeping the peace. In fact, the park rangers are referred to as Peace Officers on their badges. Ooooo, a badge!!
The whole idea got started in Banff. There were a couple of guys working for the railway in 1883 who had clearly wandered off one day, and ‘discovered’ the natural hot springs that are on Sulphur Mountain. After two years of arguments between several interested parties regarding who owned the rights to the springs, and to the exploitation of them for commercial interest, the government claimed them and set aside the surrounding 26 km2 for good measure, declaring the area to be the “Hot Springs Reserve” set aside for use by the public. They themselves then used it as a selling point to lure tourists out West to see this new destination and natural marvel, and heavily advertised it both in Canada and to the overseas travelling market. In 1887, the size of the Hot Springs Reserve was enlarged to 624 km2, its name was changed to the Rocky Mountains Park, and the Banff Springs Hotel was built.
So, because it had ‘acquired’ the Hot Springs Reserve, Parks Canada was established in 1885, under the name of Dominion Parks Branch, since there was no other governmental department to squish it into. The Branch didn’t really have much to do with anything because there wasn’t yet a solid understanding of how or what could or should be preserved and protected. Let alone for whom. There were some flimsy guidelines surrounding the issues but no one to enforce them, plus there was limited grasp of why these special areas needed to be protected from being trampled all over by progress.
By the time the Dominion Parks Branch had figured out a solid action plan and changed its name to Parks Canada in 1911, there were 5 parks under its protection, 3 of which were in the Rocky Mountains. The new agency would go on to purpose-hire a qualified team of agents who knew a great deal about the areas they were now in charge of protecting, and politicians were able to get some meaningful legislature passed, solidifying the language and ideals around the conservation values and issues that passionate leadership had begun to form. Canada’s well-known safeguarding of nature’s abundance in order to be shared by all Canadians, is the direct result of the persistent efforts of the early Parks Canada foundations laid during those early years.
By putting into place, in 1911, a government-based authority to exclusively address and defend the challenges that surrounded the allocating and maintaining of our natural parks and reserves, Canada became the first country in the world to establish a national park service. Today Parks Canada protects and maintains 48 National Parks and Park Reserves (covering more than 300,000 km2 of habitat across Canada), an Urban Park (Rouge National Park, where the Toronto Zoo has planted its relatively small footprint), manages 171 of Canada’s 1004 National Historical Sites, oversees 5 National Marine Conservation Areas, and has so far set aside one National Landmark (Pingo National Landmark—a 16 km2 region encompassing 8 pingos near Tuktoyaktuk, NWT) (look it up!!!!).
Side Note: Changing the name of the Dominion Parks Branch to Parks Canada highlighted our talent for calling a spade, a spade. Which is why the name of the free pass that Canadians can apply to receive to have unlimited access to all of the Parks Canada managed areas and heritage sites for a whole year, the “Canada Strong Pass”, confuses me. Am I the only one to read it as: “Canada? Strong pass!” I sure hope so because exploration of this country’s vast network of protected parkland of all kinds, be it the sandy wild-horse-populated Sable Island, or the favoured rest stop of Monarch Butterflies on southern Point Pelee as they wait to migrate to Mexico, to Quttinirpaaq a breath-takingly beautiful polar desert on Ellesmere Island and Canada’s second largest park (visited by only 7 people during the 2022-2023 season), or hiking the 75 kilometre West Coast Trail found within the Pacific Rim Park Reserve, could not offer a more dramatic or varied view of this astounding land that we sit on.
From the 171 National Historic Sites that are managed and maintained by Parks Canada (the remaining 833 sites, mostly just have plaques marking historic buildings, events, or people) one can learn about the goldrush by wandering through The Dawson Historical Complex which features a wide range of historical and preserved buildings, or pop by the Riel House in Winnipeg highlighting the life of Louis Riel as well as Metis life, or perhaps delve into the history of the culture and settlement of the Acadians in 1682 in Grand-Pre Nova Scotia. These are just a few of the fascinating historical sites that are dotted across the entire country offered by Parks Canada.
As for the National Marine Conservation Areas, while only having 5 designated areas under the protection of Parks Canada, they encompass 14,846 km2 of waters, wetlands, and coastlines of Canada, with another 10 areas being considered for similar designation and protection. Even though it’s considered a National Marine Conservation Area, that does not mean that you can’t take some pals scuba diving in the clear waters of Georgian Bay to explore the numerous shipwrecks resting on the shoals, or that you can’t set up your lawn chair and watch for a St. Lawrence Beluga whale (endemic to Canada) at the Saguenay-St. Lawrence Marine Park in Quebec. These areas have been set aside for exactly these sorts of unique opportunities.
Although it would take a lifetime to explore all the wonderful spots that Parks Canada has spent over 115 years setting aside for us to enjoy, this might just be the summer to start the adventure!
