Action Alert: Nakiska Proposes all-seasons activities open for Public Engagement

April 27, 2026

Action Alert: Nakiska Proposed all-seasons activities open for Public Engagement

The All-Seasons Resort Act (ASRA) was enacted in December 2024. The accompanying policy was released a year later on December 10-11, 2025. ASRA gives the Minister of Sport and Tourism the power to allocate public lands and re-designate protected areas for the creation of “All-Season Resort Areas”. These enable the ministry through regulatory authority to make authorizations under the Environmental Protection and Enhancement Act, the Public Lands Act, and the Water Act in relation to all-season resort developments, such as whether to require an environmental assessment. Many public lands include critical species at risk habitat, wildlife corridors and other environmentally significant areas unsuitable for tourism development.

Alberta Wilderness Association has concerns around Nakiska’s recent announcement of summer operation plans. On April 15, Nakiska announced its plan to open for summer operations in 2027 and is currently open for public engagement, with construction and foundations starting to be built in the summer of 2026. This plan would include new mountain bike and hiking trails, as well as a mountain coaster, a gravity-driven mountainside amusement style ride. Public engagement for Nakiska’s proposed summer operations is a short 2-week engagement and closes April 29.

Within relatively close proximity, there are multiple large lift-oriented summer season developments planned that will put pressure on the wildlife and ecosystems of the Kananaskis and Bow Valley. Nakiska and proposed Fortress Mountain developments are within 13km of each other, and the proposed Silvertip gondola is in Canmore. Given their proximity, and the ecological importance of the Kananaskis valley, with portions of these developments being within a prime protection zone as per the Eastern Slopes policy there needs to be a regional cumulative impacts assessment to understand how all developments and proposed activities will impact the region and to inform planning initiatives.

As per ASRA, the Alberta Government redesignated public land from provincial recreation areas (PRA) and provincial parks for all-season resort use. Nakiska’s all-season resort area, currently administered by the Ministry of Tourism and Sport, accounted for 929 hectares removed from the Evan-Thomas PRA in 2025. Trails within the affected areas of this PRA remain accessible to the public, and the current summer operations will not change Nakiska’s lease boundaries at this time.

There needs to be a “no-net-loss” approach to the removal of lands from public parks and protected areas for all-season resort use, along with a proper public consultation process. The land removals from Spray Valley Provincial Park and Evan-Thomas PRA that have already happened have not had public consultation or undergone a formal land-use change process. Such a process for all proposed all-season resorts, including Nakiska, would enable meaningful engagement and consultation and potentially avoid cumulative impacts with adjacent lands and waters. The Kananaskis Recreation Policy, a policy which was developed with ample public consultation, does not support the expansion of resorts within the provincial park or recreation area.

Here are some questions we currently have about Nakiska’s plan for summer operations:

Will there be further public engagement?
Will there be access to ongoing and former environmental reviews for public comment?
What ecological thresholds will Nakiska establish at the resort and surrounding area to warn or trigger action and response?
How will negative impacts be monitored, reported and mitigated?
How will increased use and visitation at the resort throughout the year impact at-risk and indicator wildlife species?
How will summer use impact wildlife movement and corridors in the region? Will grizzly and black bears have access to prime habitat and movement corridors?
How will summer operations assess impacts to species at risk, such as Porsild’s Byrum at Troll falls? Increased monitoring due to increase traffic?
Are regional cumulative impacts being considered? Cumulative impacts assessments are a necessary and vital step to inform ongoing and proposed developments and sub-regional planning in the Ghost-Kananaskis region and is in alignment with the South-Saskatchewan Sub-regional plan.

Public engagement for Nakiska’s proposed summer operations is now open, as their most recent environmental review continues, and is yet to be seen. Summer operations would bring significant changes to the slopes of Nakiska, and the face of Kananaskis, being a low-impact sustainable tourism region, could change. Engagement closes April 29, please leave your comments and concerns