During the Spring of 2012, Albertans were invited to share their feedback on a proposal to re-zone a portion of Hilliard's Bay Provincial Park. We want to thank everyone who provided feedback on the proposal. All of the information gathered from public feedback has been reviewed and is provided in the summary entitled "What We Heard".
Moving forward from the feedback, Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation will re-zone 50 acres within Hilliard's Bay Provincial Parkfrom a natural environment zone to a facility zone. A natural environment zone allows for outdoor recreation activities such as hiking while a facility zone allows for activities that require more infrastructure, such as camping.
This re-zoning is the first step towards considering a proposal from Shaw's Point Resort to lease this land and to develop 120 fully serviced seasonal campsites and to provide public space for recreational activities. Over the next several months, municipal regulatory approvals, an environmental review, and a final campground design will be completed. Once that process is done, the department will look to approve the project.
This decision supports the Plan for Parks, which commits to creating additional recreational opportunities for Albertans, encouraging innovative private sector involvement and generating opportunities to upgrade and develop additional campgrounds and facilities.
Many of the comments received supported the need to strike a balance between conservation and recreation. As a result, Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, along with Alberta Environment and Sustainable Resource Development, will work together to identify high-value ecological areas in the region to be added to the Alberta Parks system in the future.
Susan Johnson
Public Affairs Officer
Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation
780-427-1828
susan.s.johnson@gov.ab.ca
