BY: JESSICA BEUKER
2017 marks Canada’s 150th birthday, and Parks Canada has an early birthday present for all Canadians. In an initiative brought forward by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Parks Canada is waiving all park entrance fees for a year.
The deal works like this: prospective annual passholders who buy a discovery pass in 2016 won’t have to renew their pass until 2018 – meaning if you buy now, you’ll get a year of park access free.
Inuksuk National Historic Site of Canada- Nunavut
According to their website, an annual adult pass costs $67.70, family and group passes cost $136.40, seniors pay $57.90, and youths pay $33.30. Waiving the fees for a year will hopefully encourage more people to spend time outdoors and visit some of the many gems that Canada has to offer.
Terra Nova National Park- Newfoundland
Photo by: Mykhaylo Lytvynyukor
Passholders have unlimited access to nearly 100 national parks, historic sites and marine conservation areas across the country that normally charge entrance fees, according to the Huffington Post.
Signal Hill- Newfoundland
The offer comes after Trudeau’s mandate letter to Catherine McKenna, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, stated that the government would “make admission for all visitors to National Parks free in 2017, the 150th anniversary of confederation.” The mandate also stated that, beginning in 2018, admission for children under 18 would be free, and any adult who is new to Canada within the last 12 months would also receive a year of free admission.
Gaspésie National Park- Québec
Hopefully, the new initiative will see Canadians taking in the beauty that the country has to offer. Whether that means hiking trails among the majestic mountains in Jasper National Park, soaking in the history of Canada’s first National Park by spending a weekend in the valleys, mountains, glaciers, rivers and meadows of breathtaking Banff or taking a stroll through the lush rainforests of Mount Revelstoke, where the 1,000-year-old cedars reach skyward.
Jasper National Park- Alberta
Image sourcing: istock.com, nationalgeographic.com
