Jasper is beautiful. It has timelessness to it and is a well-deserved protected part of the Athabasca River Basin. Jasper is still as it was when my family used to visit for summer holidays. This is a tribute to the wonderful work that Parks Canada has been doing for years and the foresight that our government of 1930 had in passing the National Parks Act effectively banning all industrial development in National Parks which are "dedicated to the people of Canada, for their benefit, education and enjoyment."
Our expedition joined the Canada Day parade on July 1 as we portaged our canoes down Jasper's main avenue to show our support for this town's 100th anniversary. This was after two days of amazing whitewater paddling through the river's headwaters. It's nice to finally on the river.
Although not without problems, maintaining Canada's pristine National Parks in perpetuity is a truly exceptionally wonderful part of being Canadian. We identify with, and are proud of our pristine natural spaces to which Jasper National Park is a tribute. Each year, millions of Canadians and international visitors travel to Jasper National Park for a once in a lifetime magical experience.
Imagine my dismay when I heard that a pipeline twinning project through Jasper National Park and Jasper's neighbour Mount Robson Provincial Park was being allowed to proceed. The Trans Mountain pipeline from guess where? the Alberta oil sands. As a person who recreates and guides people in the outdoors, I am troubled by the environmental reverberations that the oil sands have so far from the actual oil sands mining operation. The oil sands footprint is ever expanding like a cloud of locusts - eating the earth instead of crops. Greenhouse gas emissions - to which Alberta can take pride in being the largest emitter in Canada largely due to oil sands production - causing global climate change has the glaciers of the Rockies retreating at a charge. What about the national benefit of having a gram of earth protected from industrial development and flash in the pan mini economic boosters? Is nothing sacred?
