Alex Cooper

Revelstoke Times Review

Mount Revelstoke & Glacier National Parks are receiving more than $150 million for infrastructure upgrades, including money for highway improvements, avalanche mitigation, trail rehabilitation, and visitor centre renovations.

David Wilks, the MP for Kootenay-Columbia, and Dr. Colin Carrie, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of the Environment, made the announcement at the Monashee Lookout in Mount Revelstoke National Park Thursday morning.

With a blue backdrop that featured the Parks Canada logo and the Conservative government’s jobs messaging, Wilks and Carrie announced the $156.6 million in spending.

“These investments will make an important contribution to the local and regional economy,” said Wilks. “They will ensure the reliability of essential infrastructure, which will allow Canadians to experience significant national and cultural heritage first hand, and facilitate the movement of people and goods across our country.”

The funding comes from a $2.8 billion fund for infrastructure improvements in national parks and historic sites announced last November.

Notably absent from the announcement was funding to “four-lane” the highway through the parks. Wilks said he made a $5 billion request to have the work done, but it wasn’t made part of this year’s budget. He said he would continue to advocate for the funding in the future.