The federal government’s Canada Strong Pass has been renewed for another summer, and while numbers show it has been a benefit for parks and museums, some communities say the boost has led to congestion.
The pass was announced this past spring as a move to increase tourism while also picking up on Canadians’ apparent frustration over “51st state” rhetoric and tariffs imposed by U.S. President Donald Trump.
Numbers released to Global News indicate the pass has been effective, with national museums and parks both seeing an increase in visits compared to 2024.
For example, the National Gallery of Canada reported Monday it saw 21,802 children, youth and young adults take advantage of the program, marking an 11 per cent increase in the under-24 demographic, with overall attendance increasing 3.95 per cent.
The museum noted the pass was available for all visitors, not just Canadian residents, so the data represents total attendance as a whole.
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Parks Canada said in an email to Global News that between June 20 and Sept. 2, sites administered by the agency saw a 13 per cent increase in visitation during the Canada Strong Pass, with 14.45 million visitors estimated.
Nationally, Parks Canada said, national historic sites saw about a 20 per cent increase, while national park visits rose by nine per cent.
These increased visits did come with their own issues, however.
Prince Edward Island National Park, for example, said on July 26 that it had been experiencing a record number of visitors and traffic congestion.
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‘Very busy’: Elk Island National Park exceeding capacity due to pass program
The park, in a post on Facebook, encouraged visitors to check its page for the P.E.I. park for live updates on traffic ahead of their planned visit and to consider visiting before 10 a.m. or after 3 p.m. to avoid congestion.
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The town of Banff, Alta., also saw congestion issues of its own, though it said the spike in visitors couldn’t be directly correlated to the pass.
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“What we do know is the total vehicle count at our entrances to town is up 5.7 per cent over 2024, for the period Jan. 1 to Sept. 30, and 2024 was a record year. 2025 is on track to be a new record,” said Jason Darrah, communications and marketing director for the municipality, in an email.
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“We can also say that 2017 was the last time there was free Park Pass admission to the national park for Canada 150 celebrations. In 2017, that year had record vehicle visitation that was not surpassed until 2024.”
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He said the increase could be due to several factors, including the sentiment of Canadians wanting to vacation at home due to the tariff dispute, the strong U.S. dollar attracting American visitors and the Canada Strong Pass.
“The free Canada Strong Pass likely had more of an impact on day visitors from the Calgary region than it would have influenced other Canadian visitors and international tourists,” Darrah added, saying those tourists often make decisions to come to Banff “many months ahead,” before the pass was announced.
Darrah said most days during the summer months, parking in the entire town had been full in the morning, adding to the congestion of visitors trying to find a parking space.
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Elk Island National Park staff told Global News they’ve experienced visitors unlike anything they’ve seen before, which sometimes required them to close the gates due to high numbers.
“For this summer so far, we have seen exceedances of the capacity of the park on several, several weekends,” said Jana Cornoc, a visitor services team leader with the park, on Aug. 3.
She added that people need to remember not to bother wildlife when visiting the park, as there had been some instances of wildlife harassment during the summer.
In its email, Parks Canada says it works to “effectively manage visitation,” including promoting less sensitive areas of the park that also generally attract fewer visitors. It also implements temporary traffic diversions or limits to specific areas when necessary.
Earlier this month, the federal government announced the Canada Strong Pass would once again be available for summer 2026, but it also said free admission would be available for the upcoming holiday season.
According to Parks Canada, national historic sites, national parks and marine conservation areas operated by the department will have free admission from Dec. 12 until Jan. 15, 2026, “to help Canadians celebrate the holidays and spend time with loved ones.”
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