07/19/2026
IMPORT INFORMATION | Please read and share
For anyone joining our community and family-friendly ATV parade this morning;
I have attached an internal service memo and emails from Parks Canada regarding the use of mobility devices in the National Park and your rights as a Canadian. This memo was drafted to respect the Accessible Canada Act and the Canadian Human Rights Act. Please read it carefully.
If you have mobility issues, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT to use a mobility device of your choice. The below memo explicitly addresses the use of power-driven devices, including ATVs and golf carts.
Parks Canada staff must not question the person about the nature of their disability.
Parks Canada cannot use the Canada National Parks Act (CNPA) as an excuse to deny accessibility. They must administer the CNPA in a way that complies with the ACA. If a regulation in the CNPA restricts motorized vehicles, Parks Canada is legally obligated to provide a "reasonable accommodation" for people with mobility issues, up to the point of "undue hardship" (which typically means a severe, verifiable safety risk or massive ecological damage).
Internal emails citing their legal advisors state that regarding devices like ATVs and golf carts, "the goal should be to make it possible for people to visit.". We must remember we are surrounded by the park, so when you leave the community limits you are a visiting the park and you are allowed to use a powered wheelchair or any other mobility device.
It must be noted that when this service memo came out in 2021, local park management did not inform visitors of this option. They did not inform our Town Councils, nor did they inform our residents. We have many aging community members and visitors who have mobility issues and would love to hear about an easier way to get out, spend the day with their families, access their traditional lands or just explore Gros Morne.
Well, who did the inform?
It seems the only entity briefed on this internal mobility memo was the operator of the Western Brook Pond (WBP) boat tour. The internal email explicitly notes that management "should discuss the implications, especially for WBP." This perfectly explains the "load and go," cash-only golf cart transport to the boat tour, which requires absolutely no proof of mobility issues, as clearly stated on their website. If you ever wondered why they can do it there, this is why.
If local park management genuinely cared about the residents, visitors, and "stakeholders" of this region, they would have happily shared this vital accessibility information with our aging communities. The fact that they hid it is just another example of local Parks Canada management blatantly disregarding the rights of residents and visitors, engaging in inconsistent enforcement, and demonstrating a complete lack of equality.
So, whether you are able-bodied or using a device for mobility, which again you don't need to discuss, we will see you all at the parade and let's ride for fairness.
Please share!!
