Protected national parks in Canada are often wild and remote with no internet or cellphone service, but that is about to change. The department responsible, Parks Canada, is requesting tenders from contractors to install wireless Internet access at up to 50 of its parks this year. It wants to triple the number soon afterward.
Parks are often seen as a refuge from the hurly burly of modern life and some Canadians may mourn the ability to disconnect. But Parks Canada says visitors want to be able to stay in touch with work, friends and family, stay up to date on the news and connect with social media.
It adds modern cellphone coverage is either partial or non-existent at many of its parks and historic sites. As someone who briefly got lost in Banff National Park in Canada’s Rocky Mountains, I think Internet access may not be such a bad idea.
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