Alberta Parks Photo

By Canadian Press

Temporary measure, says province

Alberta government quietly halts closure of 17 provincial parks due to COVID-19

Jun 23, 2020 | 4:53 PM

EDMONTON – The Alberta government has quietly halted the closure of 17 provincial parks and recreation sites this year because of COVID-19.

The province had initially planned to fully or partially close 20 provincial parks and hand-off another 164 to third-party managers.

But officials quietly updated the COVID-19 response page on the Alberta Parks website.

The site says the province will operate the 17 sites this year because it wants to give Albertans more opportunities to camp and connect with nature over the summer.

The province says it’s a temporary measure for this year’s camping season.

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The plan to close some sites and hand over others has raised concerns among many, with one online petition getting more than 52,000 signatures.