The Alberta NDP said Premier Danielle Smith should keep her promise to remove the Kananaskis Country Pass. .“Albertans own the beautiful and distinctly Albertan space that is Kananaskis and should all be able to use it freely,” said Alberta NDP MLA Marlin Schmidt in a Sunday press release. .“During an affordability crisis that already stretched family budgets, the government is continuing to force people to pay an additional fee to access their own backyards, meaning Albertans had an additional imposed onto already stretched budgets.” .The Alberta government imposed the K-Pass in 2021, which forces people to pay $90 if they want to enter Kananaskis. The K-Pass has taken $15 million from people wanting to access the space. .Smith said in June she would end the program. .“The idea that somehow we’re going to improve things and improve the access by charging, what is it, a $90 park pass?” said Smith. .“That impacts families at a time when everything is going up for families.” .She said she agrees with Alberta NDP Leader Rachel Notley about eliminating the K-Pass. She called it “ridiculous.” .The Alberta NDP said in September the provincial government is spending millions of dollars to hire a private security firm to enforce people paying for the K-Pass. .READ MORE: NDP blasts UCP for hiring private security firm for $166,000 a month to enforce $90 K-Country pass.“Remember when you’re forced to pay for your fee, while the UCP enjoys a $13-billion surplus, they are charging you $90 to pay someone to make sure you paid your $90,” said Schmidt. .A freedom of information request obtained by the NDP said Alberta Environment and Parks paid Global Traffic Group $166,667 for one month of enforcement and monitoring of compliance with the K-Pass. .Schmidt concluded by saying the K-Pass is “a waste of Albertans’ money, and another burden to families who just want to enjoy the great outdoors at a time when the cost of everything is on the rise.” .“We need to restore the legacy of Kananaskis Country being an open space for all Albertans to access without costs, and that means the UCP’s regressive fee to access this beautiful area of Alberta must be repealed immediately,” he said.
