Dear Editor,
I have spent much time digging and asking pointed questions of those involved and it seems the story of the behind-the-scenes discussions in regard to the Maligne Tours Limited (MTL) resort are finally coming to light.
Through correspondence with Parks Canada and MTL, I have found that at least one preliminary meeting between the two parties was held before work started on the project, and Alan Latourelle, the CEO of Parks Canada, subsequently sent an encouraging letter to Maligne Tours listing the few simple steps required to get it approved. His letter was included in the material filed by MTL, revealing what I believe to be a prior commitment, at least in principle, to the project on the part of Parks Canada.
Supt. Greg Fenton confirmed that some preliminary meetings were held, and that Parks Canada has been meeting regularly with MTL since that time. When asked, he referred to an ongoing series of private meetings held with Maligne Tours by his own officers, ones apparently meant to guide the company through the steps required to get the project approved.
As Mr. Fenton says: 鈥淚, and several members of my team, have had a number of meetings with the owner and manager of Maligne Tours, including Gerry Levasseur and Pat Crowley. These meetings have been to listen and learn about their concept proposal and to provide direction to them regarding the process requirements for submitting a concept proposal for our consideration.鈥� and, 鈥�...we continue to meet on a regular basis with Maligne Tours to ensure oversight of the concept proposal process; including reviewing with them the minimum content requirements...鈥�.
If Parks Canada is actively assisting with the project, as Mr. Fenton says, my concern is 鈥榯he fix is in鈥� and that any efforts to reveal the flaws in the plan, such as environmental concerns or negative effects on the visitor experience, will be ignored. Because past meetings have been neither publicized nor the topics discussed made public knowledge, we can only guess at the amount of cooperation that has existed between the two parties.
In order to ensure full transparency, all meetings held between Parks Canada and MTL should have been open to the public. May we be assured that all additional discussions will meet that requirement?
After all, as Canadians, and therefore as owners of Jasper National Park, we are entitled to full disclosure of all the arrangements made, whether in camera or in public. As Parks Canada has always insisted, there is no room for back room deals in the public process.
Peter McClure
Spruce Grove, Alta.
