e-6554 (Transportation)

The Government would like to thank the petitioners for expressing their concerns regarding the safety of wildlife and users of the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) through Yoho National Park. Keeping visitors and wildlife safe is a priority for the government.

The Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho and Banff National Parks was built as a scenic two-lane highway in the 1950s. Today, it is a major commercial highway in Canada and the primary access route for five million visitors to Canada’s mountain national parks. Average daily traffic volumes in Yoho National Park have now reached 7,500 vehicles (2022 estimates). The first section of highway twinning in Yoho National Park, known as Phase IVA, was completed in 2018, extending 6 km from the Alberta / British Columbia border. In 2021, Parks Canada completed the consultation, environmental assessment, and preliminary engineering designs to enable the potential future twinning of the remaining 40 km of the Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho National Park. As part of the federal infrastructure investment program, since 2014-15, the Government of Canada has invested $361M in the Trans-Canada Highway through the mountain national parks, including Banff, Yoho, Mount Revelstoke, and Glacier national parks. Parks Canada remains committed to completing this important work in Yoho National Park.

Parks Canada is working to improve habitat connectivity and raise awareness about the impact of roads on wildlife, both large and small. Understanding species movement is key for ensuring their safe access to essential habitats and reducing public safety risks. By gathering and analyzing data on wildlife movement and wildlife-vehicle collisions, Parks Canada can identify key areas where mitigation measures to protect both wildlife and the public should be considered.

There are more than 45 crossing structures and accompanying highway fencing on 88 km of twinned Trans-Canada Highway in Banff and Yoho National Parks. These are designed to keep wildlife off the road and help reconnect landscapes that have been fragmented by roadways. Monitoring in Yoho National Park continues in order to identify where crossing structures are most needed and determine the most effective ways to support wildlife.

Parks Canada offers condolences and compassion to those affected by the tragic accidents that have occurred on the Trans-Canada Highway within its park boundaries. Parks Canada continues to work with its enforcement and engineering partners to investigate and assess these incidents to better understand and implement any required safety measures. As an example, speed reader signs, an effective driver compliance tool, have recently been implemented on the Trans-Canada Highway in Yoho National Park.