Parks Canada ends Rocky Mountain rescue-dog programme amid safety concerns

Parks Canada is ending its canine search-and-rescue programme in the Rocky Mountains, prompting a petition signed by more than 5,000 people and concerns about the loss of a safety resource in a region visited by millions.

The agency said it would cut its sole dog-handler position in Banff National Park as part of efforts to modernise its law-enforcement branch. It said search-and-rescue operations would continue by other means. Banff receives more than four million visitors a year.

The programme had operated for 55 years. Former handler Scott Ward, who spent 17 years in the role, said dogs had helped locate people buried in avalanches, lost children and people injured in the wilderness. He described their work as a resource for both public and staff safety.

The programme’s last dog, a German shepherd named Leroy, retired in August. During seven years on duty, he helped track 156 people, find 57 people lost in the wilderness and solve two murders in Banff, according to the BBC. A replacement dog had been trained before Parks Canada announced the programme’s elimination last week.

William Stevenson, the Conservative MP for the Banff area, launched the petition and raised the issue in Parliament. He said he supported tighter government spending but argued the decision could harm public safety. The government has said it is focused on reducing the deficit and ensuring public funds support growth, resilience and Canadians’ wellbeing.

Parks Canada’s decision comes amid wider public-service funding cuts. The BBC reported that the agency had announced hundreds of planned job losses and that the programme was being eliminated as part of recent C$145m in cuts. The agency called ending the handler position a “difficult decision”.