Parks Canada ends search and rescue dog program after more than 50 years

Parks Canada has ended its search and rescue dog program after more than five decades of operation. The program, which started in Jasper National Park in 1970, was used for backcountry rescues, locating missing people and supporting law enforcement. The last dog, Leroy, was retired last summer after a career that involved finding more than 50 people. The decision comes as Parks Canada faces budget cuts of $145 million over three years and a workforce adjustment affecting nearly 3,000 employees.

Retired handlers say the cut will reduce safety in the national parks. "It's a really big service to visitor safety and law enforcement," said Scott Ward, a retired Parks Canada dog handler who worked as a warden for 35 years. He said the volume of calls has increased, putting more pressure on visitor safety staff. Mike Henderson, a handler in Banff National Park from 2001 to 2019, said he understands the need to save money but believes the program was still effective. "You're cutting a piece that's not obsolete. It's got 55 years of success, and we keep on proving ourselves," Henderson said.

The program once had six dogs but was slowly reduced over time. The Jasper field unit stopped using dogs more than a decade ago, leaving only Banff National Park with an operational dog. Henderson said a new dog had recently completed about two and a half months of training to enter federal service before the program was terminated. A Parks Canada spokesperson said the agency would respond to questions about why the program was cut but did not provide an answer before publication. The dogs were trained to detect human scent in a wide range of scenarios. "They were trained to search for human scent 'as small as a paperclip in the grass to as large as a human body,'" Ward said. Former warden Sid Marty, who worked in Banff, Jasper and Yoho national parks from 1966 to 1978, said the dogs were crucial for quickly finding avalanche victims, which helped protect Parks Canada staff from subsequent slides during prolonged searches.

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Handlers emphasized the dogs' roles extended far beyond search and rescue. Henderson said their daily duties could include handling illegal camping, responding to mental health calls, dealing with illegal campfires, monitoring area closures, removing food to avoid wildlife habituation and monitoring for poaching. "You can put the rowdy campers to bed," Henderson said. "You roll in, ask nicely and light the dog up, and everyone says, 'OK, we're going to bed.'"

Henderson said there should have been consultation before cutting the program to fully understand what would be lost. "Why'd we get rid of it now? It definitely needs to be spoken to," he said. The program's end coincides with a major workforce adjustment at Parks Canada. The agency recently notified 2,917 employees, more than half of its staff, that they could be fired or moved to different positions. Acting CEO Andrew Campbell said in an all-staff email that Parks Canada has to cut about 500 full-time jobs. Campbell said the agency is encouraging voluntary departures or retirements to minimize involuntary job losses. "Parks Canada has used, and will continue to use, every tool at its disposal to minimize involuntary departures," he told staff. The full rollout of the new workforce plan is anticipated in 2027.

With files from CBC News