Hey folks, I have an idea!Instead of Banff National Park, let's call it ... Banff National Ripoff Park.You know, just to be accurate. Let people know what to expect.This week, in a move that shows once again that Banff and the surrounding area is for rich tourists only — poor working folks like us need not apply — parking at Lake Louise this summer will cost you nearly $40 per day for the privilege, Parks Canada said."Sparks Canada" as it is jokingly called (for letting controlled fires get out of control), said the rate boost is in response to a massive influx of private vehicles, it said in a terse press release.That's right, from May 17 to October 14, a daily parking fee of $36.75 per vehicle will be charged at the lot, which ushers visitors to the iconic glacier-fed lake from 3 a.m. to 7 p.m.It's fair to say, the days of filling up the SUV and taking your family for a nice drive to Banff or Lake Louise for a day, because everything was free are long over.Now, it's all about the size of your wallet.Just like the greedy types at the Banff Chamber of Commerce — who want more, more and more like Johnny Rocco in Key Largo and who can only see dollars in their eyes — it's all about the escalator of profit.Apparently, a staggering $3.1 billion Canadian dollars a year in tourism revenue is not enough. Oh no, it's got to be bigger, much bigger.This is all about making it a hassle to visit the famed lake, to make it harder for us, to make it difficult for us, so that we commoners will stay away.The complete and total opposite, of what is happening south of the border, the land of the free. Emphasis on the free.There isn't a single National Park in the US, that is doing anything similar, even though some of these parks also see big tourist numbers.In fact, if you're a senior, you can apply for a card that will get you into any US National Park for free — not a huge amount, but better than nothing.At least they're trying..Meanwhile, you think the $400-plus a night they're charging now for a basic hotel room in Banff is too hefty? Well, you ain't seen nothing yet.It's just the beginning, folks.I'm actually shocked that the Banff city fathers decided to cancel their mall experiment — it fed tourists into a horribly touristy retail trap, that only benefitted the stores that line Banff Avenue.An experiment that completely stole away the wonderful ambience that once was Banff.The Banff where you could stand on the boulevard in the middle of the street and take your classic photo with Cascade mountain in the distance.How many of us have done that?Let's face it, the only people who can afford Banff and vicinity now, are rich folks from the US and Europe. People with US greenbacks and Euros.Who the hell else can afford to pay $60 per person, to ride the gondola up to the Sulphur Mountain viewpoint and restaurant.For a family of four, that's $240! Highway robbery, folks, a massive gouge!I remember the days I would hike up and then ride down for free. Can't do that anymore, gotta pay for the ride down.The milk of human kindness, to borrow a Shakespearean phrase, from the folks at Brewster Travel Canada. Ka-ching!Hint: You can still get a great view of Banff from the Norquay overlook and that is still free.But there's no way in hell, I'll be able in my lifetime, to ever visit Lake Louise again, not with a $36.75 per vehicle charge. Let alone, spend a night at the Chateau, which now costs $800 and up.Not a chance..When you add the park entrance fee — whatever the hell that is now — plus the gas to get there and maybe a pricey bite to eat somewhere, it all adds up.Yes, you can always book the $8 shuttle bus ride from the townsite I suppose, if you don't mind riding with the common rabble and making a day of it.I'm told there is another bus that will take you to Moraine Lake from Lake Louise, my favourite lake in the Rockies, but who needs the hassle.And there's no word from the Park office on whether you still pay the parking fee, if you ride your electric bike up there.According to a report in the Calgary Sun, the organization said this change and others were based partly on public feedback and rising costs it faces in operating the national park.I can understand rising costs.But public feedback? You mean, someone wanted to pay more rather than have free parking?Talk about a pile of bear poop.“Parks Canada is committed to providing a safe, accessible and predictable experience for visitors using sustainable transportation in Banff National Park,” said the federal agency.In 2022-2023, shuttles raised $1.78 million while paid parking collected $2.09 million, the Sun report said.This, we are told, covered most of the $5.71 million cost of traffic management in the Lake Louise-Moraine Lake complex.Robbing Peter to pay Paul. Right.Now imagine how much they're going to raise this summer..Luckily, we still have other attractions in southern Alberta, that are relatively cheap to visit — Waterton, the Badlands, Kananaskis and many other cool things to experience on a smaller scale.Alberta is a wonderful province for family day trips and exploration and we are lucky we have that.And hiking, so far, is also free. One day they will demand a reservation and possibly even paying a fee for those trail adventures, but for now, it's still free.As one of my friends pointed out, you can always go to Lake Louise during the winter months, when parking is free. For now, of course.And, there are less-visited places in Banff National Park that are also enjoyable, and free. That can still be done on a tank of gas and a picnic lunch. At least we have that.I do understand too, why Parks Canada needs to protect the overall eco-system — it's absolutely essential we try to save what we have, for future generations.And that means ruling out idiotic ideas, like holding another Winter Olympics. That will just bring more tourists, more chaos, more ecological damage and higher costs for us all.What I am upset about, is that Banff is really no longer a park, it has now become a revenue stream, for people who already have deep pockets.People who have no qualms about ripping you or me off. Or turning Banff & region into a rich man's paradise.In the classic movie Key Largo, gangster Johnny Rocco was asked if he'd ever get enough in the way of illegal riches."Nahhhh," said Johnny, played perfectly by Eddie G. Robinson, "I want more ... yeah, I want more and plenty of it."Like Johnny Rocco, how much more do they need?
