Budget 2025: What It Means for Parks / Recreation
Alberta Budget 2025 invests $293M in parks capital for campgrounds, trails, and wildfire preparedness, while operating funding stays flat at $362M.
Forestry & Parks Operating
$362M
+$4M (+1.1%)
Parks Capital Plan (3yr)
$293M
Maintenance, campgrounds, trails
Wildfire Capital (3yr)
$47M
Enhancement + facilities
Parks Maintenance & Renewal (3yr)
$116M
Addressing aging facilities
Sector Impact Summary
Parks and recreation in Alberta operate under the long shadow of wildfire. The 2024 season saw 1,210 wildfires burn 708,500 hectares, following the record-breaking 2023 season that consumed 2.2 million hectares and devastated the town of Jasper. The Ministry of Forestry and Parks spent $707 million on disaster and emergency response in 2024-25, dwarfing its base operating budget. In 2025-26, the base operating budget stands at $362 million, up just $4 million (1.1%) from the prior year.
This creates a dramatic headline comparison: total ministry expense drops from $1,116 million in 2024-25 to $403 million in 2025-26, a $713 million decrease that is entirely due to the non-recurrence of emergency wildfire spending. The base budget itself is modestly higher.
On the capital side, Forestry and Parks receives $293 million over three years, a meaningful investment in park infrastructure renewal, campground development, trail improvements, and wildfire preparedness. The budget also includes $15 million over three years in additional operating funding for wildfire mitigation strategies, and the Active Communities Initiative (in the Tourism and Sport capital budget) contributes another $30 million for recreation infrastructure.
For Albertans who use provincial parks, campgrounds, and trails, the capital investment signals improvement in facilities that have been strained by population growth and years of deferred maintenance. The dominant risk remains the unpredictable cost of wildfire seasons that can overwhelm the base budget in any given year.
Key Budget Measures
Provincial Parks Capital Maintenance and Renewal
The largest parks-specific capital allocation is $116 million over three years for maintenance and renewal of provincial park facilities. This addresses the infrastructure deficit in aging park buildings, day-use areas, and campground facilities that have deteriorated under heavy use and deferred maintenance.
New Campground Development
Budget 2025 allocates $29 million over three years for new campground development. This investment responds to the surging demand for camping in Alberta, where campsite reservations have become increasingly competitive. The spending is back-loaded, with $2 million in 2025-26 rising to $15 million in 2027-28.
Crown Land Trails
Trail development and maintenance receives $24 million over three years, supporting the trail network on Crown land that is used for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and other recreational activities.
Wildfire Enhancement and Preparedness
Wildfire capital investments total $47 million over three years across three programs:
- Wildfire Enhancement: $22 million ($11 million per year for two years)
- Wildfire Facility Upgrade Program: $19 million ($6 million per year)
- Wildfire Management Readiness: $6 million ($2 million per year)
An additional $15 million over three years in operating funding enhances wildfire mitigation strategies and preparedness for future seasons.
Parks Water and Wastewater Infrastructure
A $31 million capital allocation over three years addresses water and wastewater systems in provincial parks, a critical public health and environmental protection investment that has been underfunded.
Kananaskis Area Trail Upgrades
The Kananaskis area receives $5 million over three years for trail upgrades, reflecting the heavy use this area receives from Calgary-area residents and visitors.
Big Island Provincial Park
The new Big Island Provincial Park receives $5 million over three years, expanding the provincial park system.
Regional Plan Implementations
Two regional plan implementation programs receive targeted funding: Parks South Saskatchewan ($7 million over three years) and Parks Lower Athabasca ($5 million over three years), supporting recreation development aligned with provincial land-use plans.
Active Communities Initiative
Through the Tourism and Sport ministry, the $30 million Active Communities Initiative ($10 million per year) funds recreation and sport infrastructure that supports community-level activities including arena upgrades, swimming pools, playgrounds, and sports fields.
Funding Changes
| Category | 2024-25 Forecast | 2025-26 Estimate | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forestry & Parks Total Expense | $1,116M | $403M | -$713M |
| Forestry & Parks Operating | $358M | $362M | +$4M (+1.1%) |
| Disaster/Emergency | $707M | $0M | -$707M (one-time) |
Source: Fiscal Plan 2025-28, Expense, p. 83.
The year-over-year comparison is dominated by the non-recurrence of 2024-25 emergency wildfire spending. The base operating increase of $4 million reflects modest enhancements to wildfire preparation and mitigation, partly offset by program review reductions of $26 million over three years that target innovation grants, education, research, and extension activities within the ministry.
A new seniors camping fee discount introduced in 2025-26 will reduce Forestry and Parks own-source revenue, partially offsetting fee increases elsewhere.
Capital Investment
The Forestry and Parks capital plan totals $293 million over three years:
| Project | 3-Year Total |
|---|---|
| Provincial Parks Capital Maintenance and Renewal | $116M |
| Parks Water and Wastewater Infrastructure | $31M |
| New Campgrounds Development | $29M |
| Crown Land Trails | $24M |
| Wildfire Enhancement | $22M |
| Wildfire Facility Upgrade Program | $19M |
| Crown Land General Capital | $9M |
| Parks South Saskatchewan Regional Plan | $7M |
| Wildfire Management Readiness | $6M |
| Kananaskis Area Trail Upgrades | $5M |
| Big Island Provincial Park | $5M |
| Parks Lower Athabasca Regional Plan | $5M |
| Other (airtanker base, fire weather, Canmore, water vessel fleet) | $15M |
Source: Capital Plan Details by Ministry 2025-28.
Risks
Wildfire Season Escalation (High). The base budget does not include emergency wildfire spending. In 2024-25, wildfire response cost $707 million in Forestry and Parks alone, and the record 2023 season was even more devastating. Climate change is increasing the frequency and severity of wildfire seasons, creating a structural fiscal risk that any given year could require hundreds of millions in unbudgeted emergency spending. The $4 billion provincial contingency and disaster assistance envelope provides some backstop, but this is shared across all government emergency needs.
Climate Change Intensifying Fire and Drought (High). Severe droughts in 2021, 2023, and 2024, combined with record wildfire activity, indicate a structural shift in fire and drought risk. The $15 million in additional wildfire mitigation operating funding is helpful but modest relative to the scale of the challenge.
Operating Budget Declining to 2027-28 (Medium). Operating expense decreases from $362 million to $349 million by 2027-28, while program review reductions of $26 million over three years cut into research, education, and extension activities. This creates a tension between expanding recreation capacity through capital investment and maintaining the operating resources needed to manage and staff that capacity.
Jasper Recovery (Medium). The 2024 Jasper wildfire damaged one of Alberta's most significant park and recreation destinations. Full recovery of infrastructure and visitor confidence will require sustained investment beyond what is identified in the base capital plan.
Growing Demand from Population Growth (Medium). Alberta's population growth of 2.5% steadily increases demand for parks and recreation facilities. Campsite availability, trail congestion, and facility wear are already pressure points, particularly in the Kananaskis and Banff corridor.
Opportunities
Campground and Trail Expansion. The combined $53 million for new campgrounds and trail development directly addresses the most visible demand pressure in Alberta's parks system. New campgrounds will increase the supply of reservable sites, and trail upgrades will improve the safety and experience of Alberta's outdoor recreation network.
Parks Infrastructure Renewal. The $116 million for capital maintenance and renewal, plus $31 million for water and wastewater, represents a significant commitment to bringing aging park facilities up to standard. This investment improves the visitor experience and addresses deferred maintenance that has accumulated over years of heavy use.
Wildfire Preparedness Improvements. The $47 million in wildfire capital investments and $15 million in enhanced mitigation strategies represent proactive investment in fire preparedness rather than exclusively reactive emergency spending.
Community Recreation Support. The $30 million Active Communities Initiative and $100 million Community Facility Enhancement Program (through Arts, Culture and Status of Women) support recreation infrastructure across Alberta's communities, from arenas and swimming pools to playgrounds and sports fields.
What's Missing
Budget 2025 does not include a dedicated Jasper recovery capital allocation within Forestry and Parks. There is no long-term wildfire preparedness strategy with multi-year funding commitments beyond the modest increases in this budget. FireSmart community protection program funding is not specifically highlighted. The parks operating budget does not include staffing increases to manage expanded campground and trail capacity. There is no urban park development program for growing cities where greenspace is increasingly consumed by development. The budget does not address the increasing cost of search and rescue operations in backcountry areas as recreational use intensifies.
Net Assessment
Parks and recreation receives a mixed assessment in Budget 2025. The $293 million capital plan is a meaningful investment in park infrastructure, campground expansion, trail development, and wildfire preparedness. The $116 million for capital maintenance and renewal alone will improve the experience for the millions of Albertans who use provincial parks annually.
However, the operating budget is essentially flat and declining to $349 million by 2027-28, program review cuts reduce research and education activities, and the dominant fiscal reality remains wildfire risk. The base budget simply cannot cover the cost of severe wildfire seasons, which have occurred in two of the last three years. The structural gap between base wildfire preparedness funding and the actual cost of wildfire response is the sector's most significant fiscal challenge.
For regular park users, the campground, trail, and facility investments are welcome and overdue. For the professionals who manage wildfire risk across Alberta's vast forested landscape, the incremental funding enhancements are helpful but proportionally small relative to the growing threat.