Government is planning to invest $225,000 in upgrades at Porters Lake Provincial Park in Halifax Regional Municipality.
The upgrades are part of a multi-year parks improvement plan and include a new water system, a dish washing station and road improvements.
“Porters Lake Provincial Park saw a great summer, with more visitors and locals alike experiencing all it has to offer,” said Kevin Murphy, MLA for Eastern Shore, on behalf of Natural Resources Minister Lloyd Hines. “As the season’s end approaches, we recognize the successes, innovations, and improvements this year that have boosted our parks’ popularity.”
This year, the provincial park saw about 4,000 campsite bookings, an increase of 835 from 2015. This is an increase of 26 per cent. Only minutes from Halifax/Dartmouth, the park has 80 open and wooded campsites on a quiet lakeside setting with a wide range of outdoor opportunities including boating, canoeing, water skiing, fishing and swimming.
Provincial Parks enjoyed record participation this year. About 70,000 campsite bookings have been made in provincial parks this year, a 24 per cent increase over 2015.
The parks system saw many improvements and popular new programs this year, including:
— a new, more user-friendly parks reservation website making online campsite reservations easier, resulting in the busiest opening day ever.
— two free nights offered to Grade 4 students in the form of a coupon that was used by 825 families
— a discounted campsite rate for veterans who served Canada or any Commonwealth country was introduced this year, and more than 10,500 of campers took advantage of either the veterans discount or the seniors discount
— a Learn 2 Camp program organized by Scouts Canada for first-time campers at Blomidon Provincial Park. Seven families participated, including two families who are new Canadians.
— there were 83 campground hosts units this year, who help to make visitors feel welcome while helping campers find local events and features that match their interests. Sixteen out of 20 provincial camping parks participate in the campground host program.
Nova Scotia has 130 camping, day-use, and beach parks. More information about provincial parks is available at http://parks.novascotia.ca .
.
Source: Media Release