Logging vs. Recreation in Kananaskis
- Alberta Forestry employs 18,200 people (source: Stats Canada)
- Alberta Tourism employs 90,000 people (source: Stats Canada)
- Kananaskis is a world class destination, with 3.5 million+ visitors annually (Park User Statistics 2003-2004)
- Elbow Valley is the most popular area located outside of the park system, with 500,000+ visitors annually and increasing steadily (Park User Statistics 2003-2004)
- The Government receives ~$70 per logging truck load of timber, one of the lowest in North America (stumpage fees)
- Logging Kananaskis will only produce a monetary return to the province for one year out of eighty or more
- Recreation produces a continuous monetary return to the province every year
- Logging Kananaskis will have a negative effect on tourism and recreation reaching far into the future
Although we don't know how large the Canadian Outdoor Recreation Industry really is, we can get an idea from a study conducted in the USA.
This report is based on the American population but the numbers that are available in Canada point to a similar, or even larger, percentage of growth in our country. The outdoor recreation industry has grown so large that the U.S. has begun tracking the economic impact of the industry as part of its collection of GDP data. The full report is located below.
- $646 Billion in direct economic impact and 6.1 million American jobs. If you include the ripples through the economy it would jump to 1.6 trillion in economic impact and 12 million jobs.
- Americans spend nearly twice as much on outdoor recreation ($646 billion) than they do on Pharmaceuticals ($331 billion) motor vehicles and parts ($340 billion), or gasoline and other fuels ($354 billion)
- Spend more on bicycling gear and trips ($81 Billion) than they do on airplane tickets and fees ($51 Billion).
- Outdoor recreation employs nearly twice as many people (6.1million people), than education (3.5million) and over triple real estate, rentals and leasing (2.0 million)
- There are more Americans jobs involving trail sports than there are lawyers in the US
- The Outdoor Recreation economy grew approximately 5% annually between 2005 and 2011 – this during an economic recession when many sectors contracted
This report is based on the American population but the numbers that are available in Canada point to a similar, or even larger, percentage of growth in our country. The outdoor recreation industry has grown so large that the U.S. has begun tracking the economic impact of the industry as part of its collection of GDP data. The full report is located below.
Click on the following for more information:
