In an effort to improve its bottom line, Parks Canada is contracting out campground and cleaning services in Wapiti and Whistlers campgrounds.
The decision is part of the Government of Canada鈥檚 Deficit Reduction Action Plan, said Jasper National Park Supt. Greg Fenton.
Contracting out services is 鈥渋ntended to improve some efficiencies of operations, reduce the cost to taxpayers, and come up with some savings that we need to capture as part of the deficit reduction decisions.鈥�
The combined savings of salaries and goods and services for Jasper is $95,000.
Eighteen positions in Whistlers and Wapiti will be affected, but 鈥渨e鈥檝e already given [those employees] certainty that there are jobs and have moved them,鈥� he said. Cleaning services for all other campgrounds and outlying day-use areas in the park will continue to be provided by Parks.
Fenton isn鈥檛 concerned with losing quality of service after these positions are contracted out 鈥渂ecause of the very high standards that have been laid out within the request for proposals.鈥�
Under Parks, cleaning and campground services wages range from $18.15 to $19.12. Once contracted out, those wages are likely to change because wages aren鈥檛 defined in the request for proposals. The contractor will decide its employees鈥� wages.
Contracting out campground and cleaning services isn鈥檛 limited to JNP, Parks Canada is also looking to do it to campground and grounds maintenance positions in Banff, Yoho and Kootenay national parks.
Though Parks is privatizing hot springs operations and some campground and cleaning positions, there isn鈥檛 a plan to contract out jobs in other areas, reassured Fenton, who noted that both decisions stemmed from the Deficit Reduction Action Plan.
鈥淲e still retain鈥攁nd will retain into the future鈥攔esponsibility of providing camping experiences, and we鈥檒l have Parks Canada staff at the gates, doing the interpretation and all that.鈥�
The deadline for contractor bids is Sept. 30, and bidders must complete a mandatory site visit on Aug. 30, otherwise their proposal will be dismissed.
The mandatory site visit will provide bidders with a 鈥渂etter sense of what the operations look like and get some questions answered if they have questions regarding the request for tender process and the requirements,鈥� said Fenton.
If the request for tender process is successful, 鈥渨e鈥檙e hopeful of being in a position to negotiate a final contract so that we can start implementing next spring.鈥�
Sarah Makowsky
[email protected]
