'It's creeping privatization' Tour companies blamed for shutting B.C. campers out of sites
Some would-be campers in British Columbia say they can't snag a site at provincial parks. And they blame private companies for scooping up the premium spots for resale to foreign tourists.
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NDP MLA George Heyman says the government should change the rules to give priority to B.C. residents over private businesses. (Chris Harris Photography)
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As It Happens6:36'It's creeping privatization' Tour companies blamed for shutting B.C. campers out of sites
If you're lucky, you may have spent the Canada Day holiday at a provincial campground. But, if you live in British Columbia, you may have instead spent the long weekend envying those who did.
Many coveted sites were snapped up early, leaving would-be campers shut out — and some are blaming travel companies. The private businesses buy sought-after camp sites and resell them to foreign tourists at a big mark-up.
George Heyman is the provincial NDP environment critic in British Columbia. (Twitter) "They are being shut out," George Heyman tells As It Happens guest host Susan Bonner. "It's creeping privatization of a public resource."
Heyman is the provincial NDP environment critic. He says there are a number of reasons why campers are having trouble getting access to sites. He admits the reservation website is prone to crashing from overuse during peak hours and that some campers have figured out a loophole.
"They will book well ahead of a long weekend and then pay a very nominal cancellation fee to drop the days before the long weekend," Heyman explains.
Screenshot of the reservation page of the BC Parks website. (env.gov.bc.ca/bcparks) But loopholes aside, Heyman says the growing trend of private companies buying up campsites for resale "at a 100 per cent mark up" is particularly frustrating.
"These are campgrounds that belong to the people of British Columbia," Heyman says.
"All of a sudden, they are being turned into a commercial enterprise and average people who are finding life more and more unaffordable every year are losing one of the last affordable vacations available to them."
The provincial government says that reservations by private companies only represent a tiny fraction of total bookings.
