RMNP closure irks Wasagaming business

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This article was published 25/05/2020 (2144 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Businesses in Wasagaming say they are hopeful Riding Mountain National Park’s impending reopening will help save the 2020 season, but its nearly three-month closure has already put a damper on the summer.

The national park has been closed since March, when the federal government closed all parks and national historical sites across the country to help curb the spread of COVID-19.

Public services, such as trails, parking lots and amenities shut down at Riding Mountain National Park, and the public is currently barred. That left businesses inside the park in the lurch while those located outside, such as in Onanole, were allowed to reopen, said Clear Lake Country Destination Marketing Group chair Karly McRae.

The issue is that while the provincial government has started allowing businesses to reopen and is moving ahead with Phase 2 of the plan, the federal government has been slow to loosen restrictions on national parks.

“For us as a business community … with Parks Canada remaining closed but the provincial reopening going fairly quickly, it has really left us feeling like we have an extra layer of challenge on top of an already very challenging situation,” she said.

“We just had May long weekend and provincial parks were open, but Riding Mountain National Park remains closed to visitor traffic.”

Parks Canada has so far been slow to announce details on how businesses in national parks can reopen, she said. On June 1, some visitor access and “limited visitor services” will open in the park, according to Parks Canada’s website, along with some walking trails, grounds and other outdoor activities.

Provincial campgrounds started accepting bookings in early May, but federally run ones won’t reopen until at least June 21.

“You can see the awkward position it leaves us in as business owners who are trying to operate responsibly,” McRae said.

Businesses are also still waiting on a resumption plan, she said, which will lay out how they can start serving customers again. A spokesperson for Parks Canada said the plan is on the way, but didn’t provide an exact date.

“Details on the exact services available and facilities to be opened on June 1 are being finalized and will be available shortly. The public is encouraged to continue visiting the Parks Canada website and social media accounts for the latest information,” the spokesperson said in an email.

McRae is also the owner of The Lakehouse and Arrowhead Family Resort, both located in Wasagaming. She said rooms at the hotel are normally 70 per cent booked by this time, but this year virtually none is occupied.

“It’s had an enormous impact, and as a business owner I don’t feel right about telling hotel guests or visitors to come to Wasagaming when Parks Canada is saying visitors can’t use visitor facilities like green spaces and trails. I just feel like that’s just so much part of the experience of coming to Wasagaming,” she said.

The pandemic has so far delayed the start of the season, said Clear Lake Trading Post co-owner Vince Zinkowsky, but travel restrictions will hopefully encourage more Manitobans to explore their own backyard this summer.

“It’s not as easy to travel this year, so maybe they’ll stick around home and go camping in Clear Lake. Lots of people have not come here to come check it out; that could be good for future summers as well,” he said.

The shop will open at some point in June, but it depends on when Parks Canada releases the resumption plan, he said. Staffing and inventory will also depend on the plan. Until then, the store is fulfilling online orders and curbside pickup for cottage goers in the area.

The Westman national park’s reopening is “too little, too late” for many businesses, said Dauphin—Swan River—Neepawa Conservative member of Parliament Dan Mazier. He said the federal government should have allowed national parks to reopen at the same time as provincial parks in Manitoba and be more in tune with other services reopening.

“It’s very disheartening to see when the provincial parks all around them are open. We’re a province that has managed it very well from the provincial level, and all Manitobans stepped forward and did their part for the last two months here,” he said.

There are people living all around Riding Mountain National Park, Mazier said, many of whom use the park. By closing the park to tourists, it has also hurt people living in the Parkland and in Westman.

“I don’t know how this is preventing the spread of (COVID-19) by keeping locals out and keeping business shut down and basically try to deter people as much as possible,” he said.

The national park is a big tourism draw, so its closure “stifled” many businesses throughout the riding, Mazier said.

He said he would like to see better communication between park management and local residents going forward so the park can better reflect the conditions on the ground.

“You want to go enjoy the park while no one else is around — why would you stop that?… There’s enough stress in people’s lives, surely locals can go enjoy the park and feel good about it, instead of feeling guilty about it.”

 

» dmay@brandonsun.com

 

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