Exercise 3: Connecting Past and Present
July 6, 2026 By: David Kim
The first article chosen is about the recent 25% discount offered by Parks Canada for all parks under the jurisdiction of Parks Canada, while also simultaneously offering free admission for all travellers. Parks Canada states various benefits of Parks Canada, citing increased physical and mental health associated with visiting nature, which also helps lower health care costs across Canada. Parks Canada also views national parks as an excellent source of revenue both locally and nationally, as tourists actively contribute to the rising GDP. While Canada also highlights national parks, helping curb carbon footprints, I am reminded of the course readings by Theodore Binnema and Melanie Niemi. While conservation of national parks and nature seems to be the forefront of agendas for Parks Canada, this article highlights the economic and physical benefits of the parks rather than the ecological benefits. It leads me to believe that beliefs held nearly a century ago remain true today. It is also important to note that this article focuses mostly on economic benefits rather than ecological benefits, reserving only a paragraph describing the ecological benefits of national parks. It leads me to believe Parks Canada’s main priority is tourism and revenue rather than ecological preservation.
Binnema, Theodore and Melanie Niemi, “‘Let the line be drawn now’: Wilderness, Conservation, and the Exclusion of Aboriginal People from Banff National Park in Canada.” Environmental History 11, no. 4 (2006): 724–750.
This article explores the protests that have been occurring in Vancouver over the construction of data centers in the heart of the city. Telus announced its plans to build a massive AI infrastructure, which is notorious for its excessive water consumption. This makes the Vancouver City Council come across as hypocritical, as summertime is when water restrictions are at their highest, yet they have green-lit Telus to build an infrastructure that will inevitably drain the city’s limited water resources. This controversy reminds me of the story of Hetch Hetchy Valley, where environmentalists and nature enthusiasts banded together to oppose the construction of a dam that would provide both a reservoir and hydropower for California. Much like the Hetch Hetchy project, AI data centers are presumed by members of the general public as AI drives much of the stock market valuations and can serve as useful infrastructure that would provide jobs while boosting AI capabilities. Progress and economic benefits continue to serve as an excuse for corporations to extract limited resources, with governments continuing to bend the knee to their capitalist overlords.
https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-ai-data-centre-protest-march-city-hall
Nash, Roderick F. “Chapter Ten: Hetch Hetchy.” In Wilderness and the American Mind, 5th ed. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2014: 161–181
I agree with your observation that the Parks Canada initiative appears to prioritize tourism and economic growth over ecological protection. My naturopathic doctor’s office highlights the health benefits of spending time in nature and can prescribe visits to provincial parks. I believe that increasing park accessibility can offer substantial physical and mental health benefits. However, greater access does not necessarily ensure that individuals will develop a meaningful connection with nature.
Some popular parks become so overcrowded that visiting them resembles navigating a busy shopping centre. Visitors may stand in lines, move with crowds and encounter persistent noise. These conditions hinder opportunities to slow down, find tranquillity, and observe the natural environment. Increased tourism also places additional pressure on trails, wildlife, waste management systems, local water supply and sensitive ecosystems. Your post raises a critical question about whether Parks Canada is primarily encouraging people to connect with and protect nature or is instead promoting parks as sources of tourism revenue.
I also share your concerns regarding the proposed AI data centres. Telus asserts that the Vancouver facilities would utilize closed-loop cooling, consume less water than traditional data centres, and reuse some waste heat to heat nearby buildings. Nevertheless, these projects would still require substantial amounts of water and energy. It is therefore important to critically assess whether the proposed environmental measures are adequate, rather than accepting the company’s sustainability claims at face value. How will these proposed measures be evaluated, and by whom?
Your comparison with Hetch Hetchy is particularly insightful, as both situations involve governments presenting resource-intensive projects as essential for progress and economic development. In both cases, ecological considerations risk being subordinated to the benefits promised by governments and corporations. Even when mitigation measures are proposed, transparent reporting and independent monitoring of water use, energy consumption, and environmental impacts are necessary.