Nova Scotia cuts provincial park spending by $1M, costing 58 jobs

The Nova Scotia government is shutting down visitor information centres in Pictou and Digby and switching seven of its 20 provincial parks to "self service," a move it says will save $1 million but will cost 58 seasonal jobs.

The province said the information centres in Pictou and Digby are near similar, locally-run operations. It also says just six per cent of all visitors to provincial centres go to the two locations, but they account for 17 per cent of costs.

The closures will affect 20 seasonal staffers.

Patrick Sullivan, the chief executive of the Nova Scotia Tourism Agency, said the number of people visiting information centres has dropped by 40 per cent in the last decade. More people are booking online, he said.

Meanwhile, the move to self service provincial parks means campers will pay at pay stations, rather than handing money to a person. The province says the seven parks costs three times more than the revenue they generate.

Zach Churchill, the Minister of Natural Resources, said the changes are needed.

"Currently, on average, [for] every dollar we receive in revenues from our parks, we have to spend $3. So, we are making changes on seven of our parks, out of 130 operating parks," he said.

"The good news is we're able to keep all of our parks open."

Parks switching to self service are:

• Laurie and Porters Lake provincial parks, Halifax Regional Municipality
• Islands Provincial Park, Shelburne County
• Smileys Provincial Park, Windsor
• Boylston Provincial Park, Guysborough County
• Salsman Provincial Park, Country Harbour
• Whycocomagh Provincial Park, Whycocomagh

​The province says the all changes combined will save more than $1 million by 2016.