The cost of spending time in Saskatchewan’s provincial parks is going up.
Visitation to these parks set a new record in 2015 with close to 3.9 million visits. In return, the provincial government invested $10 million over a four-year period for park upgrades and additions.
The preparation schemes indicate an increase in park fees are being implemented to enable continued increases in visitations and access to quality infrastructure.
“Costs to operate the provincial parks continue to increase and in order to continue to provide a high level of service to a steadily increasing number of visitors, moderate adjustment to some fees have been made,” said Mark Docherty, minister of parks, culture and sports.
Park user fees cover about 60 per cent of the total operating costs, a balance that has been found to be sustainable while allowing significant recreation opportunities to park and camp in the province.
A minor increase of one dollar has been made to nightly camping visitors using full service, non-electric and economy sites. Season camping, group camping and vehicle entry permits are also rising slightly. Seasonal camping rates are increasing by $75 from $1,900 to $1,975 with non-electric sites increasing by $37 to $987 while economy sites will be raised by $30 to $780.
Group camping rates for small, medium and large gatherings using sites with electricity, are being increased by just four dollars at $112, $168 and $224, respectively. Similar rate increases areimposed for non-electric and economy sites, too.
The vehicle entry fees are going up by $5 for annual passes, making them $55 with weekly passes moving up from $25 to $28 and daily passes going up a buck to $8. This represents the first minor increase in park entry fees in more than 10 years.
Saskatchewan does not have an additional charge for firewood, unlike other jurisdictions.
The nightly camping fees remain similar to those in Manitoba and lower than Alberta and British Columbia.
The reservation launch is happening in April of this year and will be staggered for a 10-day period with a queuing system in place during peak hours. More information, including a schedule for when each park will be accepting reservations, will be announced later this month.
