August 14, 2020 Gatineau, Quebec Parks Canada Agency
The COVID-19 pandemic reminded Canadians of the importance of connecting with our natural environment. Spending time in nature has proven benefits on human health and well-being. That's why the Government of Canada is delivering more options for Canadians to experience our natural treasures across the country, while reducing emissions.
Today, the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada, the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, announced that 28 of the most popular Parks Canada places now have Tesla donated electric vehicle charging stations available for visitors to use.
In May 2019, the Government of Canada committed to having charging station infrastructure at or near 25 of the most popular Parks Canada places across the country by 2021 and would double the number of destinations offering this service to the 50 most popular places by 2025. Parks Canada has already met its 2021 goal and is well on its way to meeting the 2025 targets, with the help of a Tesla donation of over 350 charging stations in 2019.
The gift from Tesla allows Parks Canada to better serve visitors who have chosen electric vehicles and is part of Parks Canada's ongoing work in greening operations and fighting climate change.
To date, 172 electric vehicle charging stations have been installed in 14 national parks, 12 national historic sites, one national marine conservation area and in Rouge National Urban Park. For each location where this new electric vehicle charging service is available, half of the charging stations are Tesla and half are J-1772 and are included free of charge with entry fees (where applicable). Several Parks Canada places will have more than one area where visitors can charge their electric vehicles.
The Government of Canada is committed to providing Canadians with practical solutions to reduce emissions when they visit national parks, national historic sites and national marine conservation areas.
