Why Jasper National Park isn't replacing some backcountry bridges after they're washed away
CBC
A trail that leads to a national historic site in Jasper National Park is cut off to hikers for most of the year due to a washed-out bridge.
Located about 15 kilometres from the trailhead for the Athabasca Pass Trail, the bridge that crossed Simon Creek was destroyed by ice in 2016.
It has yet to be replaced.
Fording the creek can be impassable at times of high water, according to Parks Canada.
The issue prompted Calgary engineer Trevor Willson to design a new bridge and submit his 108 page proposal to Parks Canada last December. Willson also got letters of support from three MPs and two MLAs but the proposal was rejected by Parks Canada.
"When we see such poorly maintained trails and bridges and campgrounds, it really needs to change. It's not acceptable to leave it that way," he said.
This wouldn't be the first time Willson has built a backcountry bridge as he has worked with the Alpine Club of Canada to restore old trails.
"People should be allowed to feel history, not just read about in textbooks, but actually go to the places where these important events happened," he said.
The Athabasca Pass Trail follows the path, surveyor David Thompson took in 1811 to get through the Rockies. It later became an important fur trade route for accessing the Pacific Coast. The pass itself is located on the Alberta-B.C. border and became a national historic site in 1971.
Over the last half century, backcountry infrastructure has deteriorated in Jasper National Park, according to Brian Patton, author of The Canadian Rockies Trail Guide.
"There were bridges everywhere. We seldom got our feet wet when we were measuring trails back in the '70s and '80s," he said.
A suspension bridge washed away on the Fortress Lake trail in 2014 and multiple bridges are missing on the North and South Boundary Trails.
There are fewer trails in Jasper now than there were 50 years ago, said Patton.
Data from Parks Canada suggests there is only a slight increase of backcountry users now compared to a peak in 1978.
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running Game
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing Game
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic Game
Four in five of the wildfires so far in Saskatchewan this year have been caused by humans — the vast majority of them accidentally. But experts say part of the reason they've spread so far, so fast, is another human factor: climate change driven by the burning of fossil fuels.
Just a block away from the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan there's a garden uniting green thumbs in Lloydminster.
Shelley Lindaas has long dreamed of seeing a Kermode bear cub in person.
The Special Investigations Unit (SIU) report outlining the events leading to the death of Erixon Kabera answered some questions for his family and friends, but many remain.
Syed Hassan says he doesn't like to complain much. But when his wife told him she got a parking ticket on Thursday night, he knew he needed to speak out.
Following the public outcry over the Jian Ghomeshi case, some legal scholars and sexual assault survivor advocates lauded changes made to the Criminal Code that would prevent defence lawyers from surprising complainants at trial with past emails or text messages with the defendant.
The Waterloo Region District School Board has been talking a lot about the word "family" this month.
At Pedro's Island Eatery in North Rustico, owner Pedro Gameiro has long been not a fan of using seed oils for frying
The parking lot of the Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre in Whitehorse was full on Friday, and the building surrounded by well-dressed young people and their proud families. Despite the smoky conditions in the city, there was much to celebrate.
Toronto has moved one step closer to allowing fiveplexes and sixplexes in neighbourhoods across the city.
Warning: Some readers may find photos in this story distressing.
Fifty years ago this fall the leaders of France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United States met in a castle outside Paris for three days of meetings, at the conclusion of which they issued the Declaration of Rambouillet, a 15-point statement of principles and commitments.
An Iranian woman living in Newfoundland and Labrador says she's watching attacks between Israel and Iran with worry for her family back home.