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Environmentalists, First Nation representatives and Joe Comartin, NDP Environment and Natural Resources Critic today jointly called for a government investigation into Parks Canada’s unauthorized issuance of a water permit for Fairmont Hotels’ planned massive business convention center at Lake Louise adjacent to their existing giant hotel complex.

The water permit was signed on March 20th, allowing the building permit to be issued - the final step enabling Fairmont to begin construction work. They began cutting dozens of trees down on August 9.

On August 15th, the Canadian Department of Justice wrote to the Siksika Nation and the Banff based environmental group, Mountain Parks Watershed Association to inform them that the Department had “identified as an issue whether Michel Boivin [Parks Canada Superintendent of Lake Louise, Kootenay, and Yoho] had the proper authority to issue the Water Permit.”

Gaby Fortin, Parks Canada’s Western Regional Director General, issued a new water permit on August 12th, 2002.

Joe Comartin, MP and NDP Environment and Natural Resources Critic said today: “We need to know what other permits this person has signed and if they were lawfully issued. We need to know why Parks Canada has bent over backwards to put the commercial interests of Fairmont Hotels before protecting the environment of Lake Louise and Banff National Park. Prime Minister Chretien and Heritage Minister Sheila Copps should issue an order to stop construction of the business convention centre immediately.”

Joe Weasel Child, Land Claims Manager for the Siksika Nation said today: “Canada has an outstanding legal and treaty obligation to the Siksika Nation for a 26.5 square mile parcel of land at Castle Mountain, downstream of Fairmont’s planned business convention centre. The Siksika Nation is calling for a full investigation into the unauthorized issuance of the water permit for Fairmont’s business convention center. The rights of the Siksika Nation have been ignored in issuing this permit. The business convention centre will affect our children, their children and their children yet to be born. Parks Canada ignores our rights but goes out of its way to put Fairmont’s commercial interests first. Only a full investigation will tell us how things have gotten so out of control with Parks Canada.”

Ed Whittingham, Director of the MPWA said today “How can the senior management of Parks Canada allow an unauthorized person to sign a permit for the most controversial and ecologically damaging development ever undertaken in Banff National Park? We are calling on Prime Minister Chretien and Minister of Canadian Heritage, Sheila Copps to immediately halt Fairmont’s construction of the business convention centre and set up an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the unauthorized issuance by Parks Canada of the water permit.”

Allan Thornton, the Canadian born President of the international Environmental Investigation Agency said “ We are calling on Prime Minister Chretien to make good on his commitment that “ the ecological integrity of our existing parks will continue to be a high priority for me and my government personally” (to the World Conservation Congress, Montreal, October, 1996) and to halt the construction of Fairmont’s business convention centre at Banff National Park’s ecologically troubled Lake Louise”

For further information, contact:
Joe Comartin, MP, Tel: 613 947 3445
Joe Weasel Child. Tel: 403 734 5137
Ed Whittingham, Director, MPWA Tel: 403 762 7952
Allan Thornton, President, EIA, Cell 416 820 5479 or 403 762 0361

EDITORS NOTES

1. Fairmont Hotels (formerly Canadian Pacific Hotels) plans to build a 150,000 square foot, seven story business convention centre at Lake Louise, adjacent to their giant 500 room hotel complex. Construction began on August 9th, when dozens of trees were cut down.

2. The Mountain Parks Watershed Association (MPWA) and the Siskika First Nation have filed a legal challenge to the issuance of the water permit, on the basis that the building convention centre will increase waste loading into the Bow River in contravention of Canada’s National Parks Act which requires maintaining ecological integrity as the first priority of Parks Canada.

3. 26.5 square miles of land were surveyed and set apart as a reserve for the use and benefit of the Siksia Nation at Castle Mountain in 1892. The Siksika Nation filed a legal claim in 1960 to recognize reserve title and have been in negotiations since that time. The parcel of land is approximately 15-20km downstream from Fairmont’s proposed business convention centre. The Siksika were not consulted about the construction of the convention centre and the potential impacts on the Bow River. The Siksika are concerned about the cumulative effects of contaminants in the Bow River.

4. Joe Comartin, MP, is the NDP’s Environment and Natural Resources Critic. Comartin wrote to Heritage Minister Sheila Copps on August 16th to urge her to issue an interim order to halt construction of Fairmont’s business convention centre at Lake Louise.

5. The Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) is a non profit environmental group based in Washington, DC and London, England. Allan Thornton, EIA President is Canadian and a former student of the late W.O. Mitchell at the Banff Centre.

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