Nova Scotia cuts provincial park spending by $1M, costing 58 jobs
The Nova Scotia government is shutting down visitor information centres in Pictou and Digby and switching seven of its 20 provincial parks to "self-service," a move it says will save $1 million but will cost 58 seasonal jobs.
The province says the two information centres are near similar, locally-run operations. It also says just six per cent of all visitors to provincial centres go to the ones in Digby and Pictou, however they account for 17 per cent of costs.
Natural Resources Minister Zach Churchill says the changes are needed.
"Currently, on average, [for] every dollar we receive in revenues from our parks, we have to spend $3. So, we are making changes on seven of our parks, out of 130 operating parks," he said.
"The good news is we're able to keep all of our parks open."
Patrick Sullivan, the chief executive of the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency, says the number of people visiting information centres has dropped by 40 per cent in the last decade. More people are booking online, he said.
The move to “self-service” provincial parks means campers will pay at pay stations, rather than handing money to a person. The province says the seven parks costs three times more than the revenue they generate.
Parks switching to self service are:
- Laurie and Porters Lake provincial parks, Halifax Regional Municipality
- Islands Provincial Park, Shelburne County
- Smileys Provincial Park, Windsor
- Boylston Provincial Park, Guysborough County
- Salsman Provincial Park, Country Harbour
- Whycocomagh Provincial Park, Whycocomagh
The province says the all changes combined will save more than $1 million by 2016.
