Construction Spells Destruction For Canada’s Grizzlies

Grizzly bears are slow to reproduce and require large tracts of

undisturbed, unfragmented wilderness to survive. Banff National Park, the

oldest and most famous national park in Canada, has historically provided

this wilderness. However, rampant development in Banff has begun to

destroy what was once a core refuge for the region’s declining grizzly

bear population. Already, a transcontinental railway, a four-lane highway,

and three major ski hills have destroyed and fragmented wildlife habitat,

isolating grizzlies and restricting their movements. Highway traffic from

this development has also killed off several of the precious few bears who

remain. In less than two years, six grizzlies—ten percent of the entire
Banff population– have been killed, four of them on the railway or
highway near Lake Louise. With already low population numbers and a slow
reproductive rate, such a loss is devastating to the grizzly bear
population. Incredibly, Parks Canada recently agreed to allow even more
construction in Banff. The proposed, new convention center at Lake Louise
will bring up to 100,000 more visitors to the Park every year, risking
even more human-caused grizzly bear deaths.

WHAT YOU CAN DO:

1. Please ask Fairmont Hotels and Resorts, Inc. to withdraw its
   application to build the new convention center at Lake Louise and to agree
   to a moratorium on all further development in Banff National Park:

   Mr. William Fatt, Chief Executive Officer
   Fairmont Hotels & Resorts Inc.
   Canadian Pacific Tower
   100 Wellington St. West
   TD Centre, P.O. Box 40
   Toronto, ON M5K 1B7
   Canada
   Fax: (+1) 416 874 2252
   Email: william.fatt@fairmont.com

2. Please ask Parks Canada to:
   • withdraw all permits for construction
     of the convention center,

   • implement a moratorium on all further
     commercial development in Banff National Park, and

   • design a
     comprehensive grizzly bear management strategy for Banff National Park
     including measures to mitigate the impacts on wildlife of existing
     development:

   The Hon. Sheila Copps, Minister of Canadian Heritage
   Government of Canada
   15 Eddy St., 11th Floor
   Hull, Quebec K1A 0M5
   Canada
   Fax: (+1)819 994 5987
   Email: copps.s@parl.gc.ca

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