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Berland Sub-Regional Planning Open for Feedback


Alberta’s tourism and recreation sector is far more than a "nice-to-have" amenity, it is a vital economic engine and a core part of our quality of life that belongs at the heart of provincial land-use planning. A $15.2 billion economic engine that employs 1 in 10 Albertans.


With the Government of Alberta currently advancing Sub-Regional Plans (SRPs) across the province, our sector has a vital opportunity to shape the future of provincial Crown lands. Land-use planning must evolve beyond simply managing industrial footprint; it must actively plan for and build out the recreation corridors, staging hubs, and year-round amenities that will establish this region as a premier outdoor recreation leader in North America.


TIAA is encouraging our sector to submit feedback on the Berland Sub-Regional Plan. Developed in alignment with the Outdoor Council of Canada we have provided templates that operators can use to submit feedback.



The Untapped Potential for Nature-Based Adventure

The Crown lands in the Berland planning area; spanning from Hinton and the Yellowhead corridor to the boundaries of Jasper National Park and Willmore Wilderness, possess an extraordinary, untapped natural asset base. While other jurisdictions have built mature, four-season recreation corridors, this region has the unique terrain and scale to lead the province in high-value, sustainable outdoor experiences including (but not limited to):

  • All-Season Trail Networks Purpose-built hiking singletrack. Motorized and non-motorized cycle singletrack, downhill mountain biking, and long-distance gravel touring networks.

  • Commercial Guiding, Outfitting & Hunting Secure, multi-year commercial operating tenures and backcountry staging for eco-tourism operators, big-game outfitters, horseback touring, and guided wilderness expeditions into the Willmore interface.

  • Forest-Play & Immersive Nature Amenities In addition to potential for All-Season Resorts this plan should broadly enable modern, low-impact forest-based recreation infrastructure such as aerial adventure parks, canopy walks, via ferrata routes, and dedicated nature immersion hubs that attract families and international travelers alike.

  • Winter Touring & Hut Systems Sanctioned winter motorized (snowmobile) networks and backcountry hut-to-hut ski touring routes

For Alberta’s tourism and outdoor recreation sector, our stakeholders have historically remained "invisible" in these planning frameworks. Leaving weak formal mechanisms for collaboration, engagement, or functional operator access. To remain competitive, land-use planning in Alberta must evolve to treat tourism operators and investors not as a secondary "nice-to-have" amenity, but as a vital economic engine that coexists with other uses and enables investment in sustainable recreation.




Predictability in Use and Access


Any economic sector depends on a stable and predictable regulatory landscape. In the recent

TIAA-Leger Annual Tourism Business Conditions Survey, one in four respondents stated that land-use certainty is a top factor in their investment and capital deployment decisions.  

When planning frameworks are ambiguous or fail to provide clear direction for commercial activities, they act as a deterrent to the private expertise and capital needed for sustainable world-class experiences and infrastructure. From TIAA’s perspective, getting the rules of the road right is the only way to ensure businesses can invest with confidence while effectively stewarding the natural environment.  

Principled Planning

The Outdoor Council of Canada (OCC), supported by the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta, has proposed a principled planning model where public and commercial access are recognized as self-reinforcing through five top-line principles:


  1. Recognition of Legitimacy  Formalize tourism and recreation as legitimate, long-term land uses within the provincial framework.  


  2. Stewardship Through Use Promote environmental protection through sustainable human use on the landscape.


  3. Stakeholders as Partners

    Utilize outdoor recreation, commercial tourism stakeholders and environmental experts as key enablers of public access, tools for conservation, and effective human management. 


  4. Investment Certainty Ensure appropriate public and commercial access through long-term investment certainty for infrastructure.

  5. Local Economic Integration

    Prioritize community-led tourism and recreation developments that offer sustained local economic participation and integration.  


Take Action Today

The provincial government is open to direct input from the businesses, outfitters and recreationists who steward these landscapes daily to ideally ensure final plans reflect the reality of multiple industries and the public interest(s).


Because sub-regional plans are legally binding under ALSA, decisions made today will determine what gets built; and what gets locked out, for the next decade.



Any of these suggestions can be edited to meet your organization's specific perspective.  


1. Submit a template letter to Alberta Environment and Protected Areas. (less than 10 minutes and makes a real difference)


2. Submit aligned survey feedback using your own or Outdoor Council of Canada's draft responses. (~5min)


3. Share across your network and encourage regional business owners, chambers, and trail groups to participate.


The template letter, survey feedback and more information are at:


Read TIAA's Technical Submission: TIAA Sub-Regional Plans Technical Guidance  



Direct Email Submissions: epa.berlandsrp@gov.ab.ca



"For Alberta to be a leader in outdoor experiences and a global competitor for tourism capital, we must send a clear and consistent signal that our landscapes are managed through stable, best-practice frameworks. Predictability is the foundation of Alberta's tourism economy, and the conditions on the ground must match our provincial ambitions for sustainable growth."

Darren Reeder 

President & CEO

Tourism Industry Association of Alberta



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