Canada wants to be the destination of nature lovers in 2017.
Parks Canada will waive entry fees at the more than 40 national parks around the country, and they're throwing in a bonus for people who become Canadian citizens: a bonus free year of admission to the parks.
The opening of the parks is to celebrate the country's 150th birthday, reports CBC.
It should come as no surprise that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is behind this. In his mandate letter to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, he wrote:
Make admission for all visitors to National Parks free in 2017, the 150th anniversary of Confederation. Beginning in 2018, ensure that admission for children under 18 is free, and provide any adult who has become a Canadian citizen in the previous 12 months one year’s free admission.
Entrance fees are not an insignificant source of funding for the parks; they brought in about $59 million in 2014, according to CBC.
A year's pass for a family up to seven people usually costs $136.40.