Banff Mayor Raises Concerns With Lake Louise Visitor Planning

Parks Canada is missing the mark with its recent “What We Heard” report on visitor management around Lake Louise according to Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno. Whichever option Parks Canada eventually picks, the Town of Banff absorbs a share of the consequences it currently has no formal say in.

While she appreciates Parks Canada’s willingness to explore ways to manage parking and the problems associated with growing demand in the park she feels that the real problem is dealing with each problem area individually.

“We're continuing to plan for areas like Lake Louise, Moraine Lake, Johnston Canyon, and Lake Minnewanka in isolation, when what we really need is a comprehensive, park-wide transportation vision,” Said DiManno in a statement to Bow Valley Insider.

Bow Valley residents backed the most restrictive option on the table, a full personal-vehicle ban with shuttle-only access, at 64 per cent support Bow Valley residents also rated that option as more effective (72 per cent). That's a real local mandate for restricting cars at Lake Louise. But the report doesn't examine where those redirected drivers, or the buses replacing them, end up. DiManno says that's the gap.

“We are, however, concerned that the consultation continues to be about isolated strategies for one area of the park. The study and future decisions do not appear to consider the impact on the Town of Banff. Traffic in the Town of Banff is not just a town problem; it is also a national park problem.”

DiManno and the town continue to push for mass transit solutions that will reduce the need for visitors to enter the park by personal vehicle. A replacement for the On-it bus service from Calgary followed by an eventual rail link have been goals since the 2018 feasibility study commissioned by the town.

“The current direction doesn't include a vision for reducing the need for people to drive to Lake Louise in the first place,” she said. “The options being discussed such as paid parking, parking reservations, and expanded shuttle services, all still depend on people driving into the region.”

“The result is the same with more personal vehicles entering the national park, with many of those visitors also driving into the Town of Banff before or after their trip.”

Commercial shuttle growth adds a second layer of pressure that isn't captured in the survey either. The number of bus companies operating in Banff has more than tripled since 2021, climbing from about 19 to 69 so far in 2026, with non-resident operators growing more than eightfold, from seven to 56, according to figures DiManno cited. That growth in commercial traffic lands on Banff's roads and parking infrastructure regardless of what Parks Canada decides for Lake Louise itself.

Parks Canada expects to finalize the Lake Louise Area Visitor Use Management Plan in fall 2026. Whether the Town of Banff gets a formal role in that process before then remains an open question.