Parks Canada has a history of silence.
We've addressed this in the past, when the agency waited to announce delayed winter access in the Maligne Valley, without speaking a word about its missed deadline.
Silence was also used when that announcement was made. Parks sent out an unassuming email on Dec. 22 and had no one there to speak to it.
And, yet again, it was used in the last few months as Parks remained largely silent about its plans for overnight camping at the airfield. That silence was broken this week.
But, in the meantime, it has done further damage to the agency鈥檚 credibility.
By staying tight-lipped about its plans, Parks has allowed imaginations to run rampant.
Community members have been left to jump to conclusions about what such a campground would look like. They imagined wifi access, hookups, utilities and satellite dishes, when in reality none of those things are even being considered.
In fact, Parks has few plans to expand or renovate the site at all. It鈥檚 just considering some no frills overnight use.
To make it successful and to protect the sensitive grasslands in the area, it is recommending a few changes: fencing along the length of the road, signage to delineate where overnight use is allowed, interpretive signage to explain the ecological importance of the grasslands, a solar powered water system鈥攍ike the one at Snaring Campground鈥攁nd a few benches around the wedding site.
All in all, there鈥檚 seemingly nothing to fear.
But, by remaining silent and leaving the community to stir, Parks exacerbated the issue and added to the distrust many people already feel toward the agency.
In recent years, a growing number of people have lost faith in Parks鈥� ability to care for this protected land, as well as the wildlife that lives within it.
That leeriness is largely the product of silence.
If Parks would trust the community and confide in it with timely, accurate information, rather than waiting months to inform or consult the public, it could potentially turn that relationship around.
By trusting in Jasperites, as well as all Canadians, Parks could see the public鈥檚 confidence return.
But if it continues to remain silent, the public鈥檚 distrust will only fester and grow.
The choice seems clear. We hope Parks sees that too.
