Proposed site guidelines unveiled by Parks Canada last week for Mount Norquay set the stage for the ski area to introduce a variety of summer uses.
The draft guidelines also lay out the conditions needed to let Norquay grow their business in the winter months.
But all the possibilities in the document that lie outside their currently developed areas come with a condition that substantial ecological gains must be given in return.
Banff National Park superintendant Kevin Van Tighem said in order for Parks Canada to consider long-range plans in relation to the new guidelines, like summer uses, the area needs to be ecologically better off than it is now.
“Ski area guidelines establish physical boundaries for development and inside those boundaries establish what kind of development to what ultimate growth level can be considered in this national park,” Van Tighem said. “New development can only be considered if there is a substantial environmental gain.”
For example, he said, a substantial environmental gain would be had if the hill gave up its undeveloped leased lands – which represent 44 per cent of its total leased area.
Currently, Norquay has a lease representing 300.1 hectares, but the site guidelines propose a 166.9 hectare lease, a reduction of 133.2 hectares.
Although nothing in the park would actually physically be changed, Van Tighem said it is about long-term security for sensitive areas in exchange for development in less sensitive areas.
“There isn’t a visible environmental gain that day, but what you have done is you have ensured there is no lease interest in that piece of land in perpetuity,” he said. “It goes forward without the risk that somebody could ultimately develop it.”
Other gains include improvement to wildlife habitat and reduced displacement or harassment of wildlife.
Summer use would be considered under the guidelines subject to achieving such environmental improvements and related mitigations. That includes reduced vehicle traffic on the access road.
In those conditions, Parks would consider operation of one of the ski lifts for a sight-seeing operation, operation and expansion of the tea house and the possibility of via ferrata.
In order to consider summer uses, Norquay would be required to limit its season of operation to mid-June through October and between 9 a.m. and 2.5 hours before sunset.
It would also have to fence the base area to separate human use from areas critical for wildlife and no hiking or other activity, particularly mountain biking, would be allowed mid-slope.
“Currently, Mount Norquay does not have the ability to operate any of their lifts in summer – there is no summer use there other than some limited use of the day lodge facilities for functions and that will continue in the future,” Van Tighem said. “The reason there is no summer use at Mount Norquay is due to its ecological importance and its association with other areas of ecological importance.
“For us to consider summer use at Norqury, we need to be able to say things will be better ecologically and this is a fairly interesting challenge for the ski area operator.”
The proposed site guidelines, said Van Tighem, are a Parks Canada planning document developed in conjunction with the ski area.
Once approved by the CEO of Parks Canada, Alan Latourelle, Norquay would be able to put forward a long-range plan for the ski area and propose specific new developments including summer use.
If Banff National Park approves new uses like via ferrata, which is currently under review, that use could also be proposed by the ski area in a long-range plan.
That long-range plan would be subject to an environmental assessment and reviewed by Parks staff, with final approval coming from the Minister of the Environment Peter Kent.
“There are multiple layers (of approvals) before you would see a change on the landscape,” Van Tighem said.
He added the objectives of the site guidelines include improving the effectiveness of the Cascade and 40 Mile Creek wildlife corridors, protecting or enhancing habitat for sensitive species including grizzly bears and bull trout, managing vegetation and contributing to a quality national park experience.
Improvements to the wildlife corridor are particularly important, he said.
The Cascade corridor has the Norquay access road running through it and is within the montane ecosystem.
“It is very important… there has been a lot of effort to restore that habitat,” Van Tighem said, pointing to the closure of the cadet camp and limited use of the airstrip for emergencies only. “There are still challenges in this fragmented mountain landscape of ensuring animals can live their lives through the whole landscape.”
Any development proposed at the ski hill would not be permitted to increase the amount of traffic on that road, especially during summer months.
That means Norquay would be required to put in place a transportation plan, which could include transit or a gondola, and any reduction in vehicle use of that road would be considered an improvement.
The guidelines also establish growth limits. The developed area would be limited to 167 hectares, a decrease of eight hectares. Ski terrain would be limited to 99 hectares, an increase of 15 hectares. And commercial space would be limited to 4,250 square metres, an increase of 1,222 square metres.
The limits are based on several factors, including a design capacity for a maximum of 3,800 skiers a day.
Potential changes include new lifts, lift replacement and realignment, new runs, widening of current runs, new glading, expansion of snowmaking and expansion of the day lodge and tea house.
Along with the process of developing the guidelines, Van Tighem said Parks Canada also conducted a strategic environmental assessment on it.
He said some of the things to come out of that assessment, which was reviewed by a third party, were also included in the guidelines.
Essentially, Van Tighem said because the ski area is in a national park, the guidelines need to reflect the ecological importance of the area, visitor experience and give the business clarity around its ability to develop in the future.
“We want the ski area to contribute to a quality national park experience – skiing should be part of something you cannot get somewhere else, because it is happening in a national park,” he said. “These are exceptional places that we offer here in Banff National Park in terms of skiing experience and the ski area guidelines need to build on that and they need to provide clarity and certainty for business planning in support of a healthy sustainable business operation.”
For more information or to provide feedback, visit www.parkscanada.gc.ca
