IT MIGHT BE COLD, BUT THINK OF BOOKING YOUR SUMMER VACATION

Released on December 12, 2008

Chase away the winter blues by using your computer to reserve a campsite in a provincial park. The Saskatchewan Provincial Parks' Reserve-a-Site for the summer camping season opens on January 1, 2009.

"We encourage everyone to visit our provincial parks," Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Christine Tell said. "Our provincial parks are among the best in North America. They are major tourist attractions that contribute to the province's economy while conserving some of the best natural areas in the province."

Thanks to recent investments in the provincial park system, visitors in the summer of 2009 will find improved facilities and, in several parks, more campsites with electricity. They will also find other changes such as a 10 day maximum stay in group campsites during the peak season which runs from June 24 to the Monday of the September long weekend. This will help ensure more equitable access to these sites.

There will also be some fee changes. There will be modest increases in the fee for trailer storage, hall rentals and grazing permits. Park entry fees will not change but daily camping fees will increase by $2 a night. The cost of seasonal campsites near washroom service centres rises to $1,500 for a site with electricity and $760 without electricity. A seasonal campsite without a service centre rises to $590. Campers using the Reserve-a-Site service will also see the reservation fee rise from $5 to $10 and the introduction of a $7 change fee - both to better reflect the administrative costs of providing this service.

"The last significant fee change occurred in 2000," Tell said. "The revenue raised by the current changes will all go back into the provincial park system to cover rising costs and to enhance existing services. It will help strike a good balance between user-pay and tax support for these services."

The cost of the day-to-day operation of the provincial park system in the 2008-09 fiscal year is expected to be about $20 million - about $11.3 million in fees and $9 million in government funding. In addition to the funding for the day-to-day operations, government invested another $7.4 million in capital upgrades and approximately $3.5 million in park system management.

"The Saskatchewan Regional Parks Association is pleased government is raising some fees," Saskatchewan Regional Parks Association board chairman John Froese said. "We had asked for a fee increase in provincial parks so their camping fees align closer to what the volunteer-driven Regional Parks must charge to offer the tourist much the same amenities. We are ecstatic that government has respected our request and has partnered with us in offering our tourists these kinds of facilities for a competitive fee."

A promotion that offered a 30 night stay for the price of 21 regular nights during the busy summer has been moved to the "shoulder season". That is the time between the Monday of the May long-weekend and June 24 and resuming on Labour Day Monday or until park close-up. This change will encourage people to camp for extended periods during the spring and fall when the provincial parks are not as busy.

A complete list of the new fee and rate structure is available at www.saskparks.net.

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For more information, contact:

Art Jones
Tourism, Parks, Culture and Sport
Regina
Phone: 306-787-3506
Email: art.jones@gov.sk.ca
Cell: 306-550-5927