Are you willing to pay more fees to enjoy the Alberta outdoors?

[Red Bullets]

Some think I post these things to stir the pot. Not my motive. I like to get people engaged in what's going on.

So these questionnaire's are being sent to Alberta's parks users by our provincial gov't. If they get their way you better start saving up now so you can just go for a walk down a trail or launch your boat in the next year or two.

I can see some fees would be good if those fees were applied to maintaining trails and such. Somehow, I am not sure if that is where those fees would go. I sort of thought our taxes paid for these things already.

[Talking moose]

I would only agree to it if they could prove the money was put right back into maintenance and creation of outdoor pursuits.

[ward]

Yes

[Albertadiver]

Only if it went to enforcement of existing laws (no new laws) and enhancing existing campgrounds and creating new campgrounds.

[Fisherdan]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

Only if it went to enforcement of existing laws (no new laws) and enhancing existing campgrounds and creating new campgrounds.

Yes.

Notice, however, the questionnaire asks for new fees to “support continued delivery of programs, services...”

Nothing about creating or enhancing. The way this government cares for parks, my guess is they are simply interested in charging more for the same thing.

[Bigwoodsman]

This will force more to rough camp.

Like mentioned if they proved the money would be used to enhance and create new parks, I'd support this.

BW

[ESOXangler]

Originally Posted by Albertadiver

Only if it went to enforcement of existing laws (no new laws) and enhancing existing campgrounds and creating new campgrounds.

Completely agree!

[I’d rather be outdoors]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

Some think I post these things to stir the pot. Not my motive. I like to get people engaged in what's going on.

So these questionnaire's are being sent to Alberta's parks users by our provincial gov't. If they get their way you better start saving up now so you can just go for a walk down a trail or launch your boat in the next year or two.

I can see some fees would be good if those fees were applied to maintaining trails and such. Somehow, I am not sure if that is where those fees would go. I sort of thought our taxes paid for these things already.

How do these things get paid for now? (Betting out of the tax base). How much do we get back if they stop these services?

[huntinstuff]

No

I want to pay less and get more for once.

If I have to be economically responsible, so does my government.

Dont ask me for money. You're like one of those bums at the intersection......

[Ken07AOVette]

No.

The only paid recreation for us anymore is fishing in BC.

I became truly annoyed going into/through Banff being forced into long lines and made to pay ridiculous money to drive through the park on the way to Revelstoke or Summerland a hundred times, when on the BC end there is mention of paying, but NEVER saw a BC plated vehicle with a parks sticker.

Make Albertan's pay for everything, but its a 'choice' for BC.

NO.

[roughneckin]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

No.

The only paid recreation for us anymore is fishing in BC.

I became truly annoyed going into/through Banff being forced into long lines and made to pay ridiculous money to drive through the park on the way to Revelstoke or Summerland a hundred times, when on the BC end there is mention of paying, but NEVER saw a BC plated vehicle with a parks sticker.

Make Albertan's pay for everything, but its a 'choice' for BC.

NO.

Sorry Ken but there’s 2 lanes to bypass the parks payment if you’re just cruising through and not stopping on the Alberta side of Banff, but no way around the Jasper one when coming in from BC now. It’s odd.

As far as the discussion at hand, it would definitely be a government idea to bill us more for going out to recreate in our own land. Most of the campgrounds are already ran privately so it’s already been nickeled and dimed there, but now we might be hit with a hiking fee inside our own province? I feel this is the road to having those same ticket booths we see in Banff and Jasper our by Kananaskis and up the Trunk Road soon.

[Ken07AOVette]

Originally Posted by roughneckin

Sorry Ken but there’s 2 lanes to bypass the parks payment if you’re just cruising through and not stopping on the Alberta side of Banff, but no way around the Jasper one when coming in from BC now. It’s odd.

Yes. Now there is.

Did you drive it in 25 years ago? 35?

I paid many times, there was no going through.

That is fairly recent.

Just because something was the way you saw it last thursday does not mean it was the same for 4 decades.

[BuckCuller]

Originally Posted by Ken07AOVette

No.

The only paid recreation for us anymore is fishing in BC.

I became truly annoyed going into/through Banff being forced into long lines and made to pay ridiculous money to drive through the park on the way to Revelstoke or Summerland a hundred times, when on the BC end there is mention of paying, but NEVER saw a BC plated vehicle with a parks sticker.

Make Albertan's pay for everything, but its a 'choice' for BC.

NO.

LOL you would have saved a lot of money if you told them you were driving to B.C. and not stopping in the park.
I’ve never paid. Honestly since I can rember there has always been a through lane and it been a long time.

[markg]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

No

I want to pay less and get more for once.

If I have to be economically responsible, so does my government.

Dont ask me for money. You're like one of those bums at the intersection......

Let us not forget that the natural beauty and bounty of the province belongs to the people not the government.

[Moosetalker]

Vehicle to create more high paid manager/governorship job positions that will be used by politicians to crow about how many new jobs they created. It will be just like most not for profits and charities when all is said and done less than .5c of every dollar will go to the cause it was created to fund.

[HunterDave]

I’d be okay with increases for things like cross country ski trail grooming and wilderness programs. For them I think that a user pay increase would be okay. I would not support increases for anything as a means to generate revenue.

[ThinBlueLine]

No, I loose too much money to taxes already

[ram crazy]

NO! we are already over taxed and the government mismanages money.

[waldedw]

The question is " do you have a choice " when they increase user fee's there are only 2 choices pay the extra fees or don't use the facility.

Are we willing to agree to it " NO " of course not but will we still pay to play ???????? that is the question, will you still pay to camp if the fee's go up ??????

When was the last time that a golf course lowered their annual or daily greens fee's ???????? how about a gun club, have the annual membership dues gone down, or has the price per round of trap, skeet or sporting clay's gone down or up ???????????

User fee's are a fact of life, if you want to play you have to pay, it's just about that simple IMHO

[HalfBreed]

I'm thinking Alberta is soon to lose it's only province without provincial sales tax status. Buckle up!

[Red Bullets]

Originally Posted by I’d rather be outdoors

How do these things get paid for now? (Betting out of the tax base). How much do we get back if they stop these services?

They would have to give us back 10 or 20 bucks each but they would try to charge gov't reimbursement fees, postage and expenses of the refund program so they would probably try to bill us a dollar more than the refund we were getting back.

[I’d rather be outdoors]

Originally Posted by Red Bullets

They would have to give us back 10 or 20 bucks each but they would try to charge gov't reimbursement fees, postage and expenses of the refund program so they would probably try to bill us a dollar more than the refund we were getting back.

& the cycle of bureaucracy is complete!

It’d be funny if not sadly true...

[huntsfurfish]

You play you pay.

[58thecat]

Only if it went to getting rid of this FN bs hunting/fishing rights and made it all equal because right now our money goes into planning that for the most part is below par just to be wiped out by a privilidge group of peopl.....Tripple P on that one big time......

[KinAlberta]

Any examples from around the world where its done right in people’s minds?

[Map Maker]

So to recap some of the current government's plan on Parks:
they originally wanted to close 100 provincial rec ares for a savings of 5 million dollars per year.
Then they removed the list from their website.
Now they came out with flash spending of $43 million dollars for upgrades to trails and such in our parks. ( which don't make any money)
So no planning just quickly spend this money, on the shoulder construction season and spend it by the end of the budget.

Kenney government started out with a plan that blew up in their face now they are defaulting to Redford style government.

[urban rednek]

Originally Posted by Map Maker

Kenney government started out with a plan that blew up in their face now they are defaulting to Redford style government.

The only difference between Kenney and Redford is the plumbing. Politically, neither is a conservative.

FTR many of the sites that were on the original list made zero sense. Who in their right mind would want to assume financial responsibility for a roadside turnout/viewpoint with a sign and a park bench or a picnic table?
There was much stupid in the privatization idea from the very beginning.

[Map Maker]

Originally Posted by urban rednek

FTR many of the sites that were on the original list made zero sense. Who in their right mind would want to assume financial responsibility for a roadside turnout/viewpoint with a sign and a park bench or a picnic table?
There was much stupid in the privatization idea from the very beginning.

No kidding. Just put a sign up at these sites that says "if this site needs attention text #cleanup, and we will take care of it"

Let everything go back to nature.