The Competition Bureau in Canada is urging measures to prevent a potential monopoly in the provision of paid experiences within Alberta’s mountain parks, following the acquisition of Jasper SkyTram by a U.S.-based company, Pursuit Attractions and Hospitality. The $23.7 million purchase of the tram at Whistlers Mountain was finalized on January 2, 2025, after it was previously owned by the operator of Marmot Basin ski resort.
In response to concerns raised by private business operators, the Competition Bureau initiated an investigation in late 2024, prompted by Viad Corp’s acquisition of the tram. In April, the bureau concluded that no further action was necessary.
The Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project’s Executive Director, Keldon Bester, expressed worries about Pursuit’s ownership of private attractions in national parks, highlighting potential competition limitations in the Rocky Mountain area. The Project’s report, released in December, called on the federal government to reverse Pursuit’s previous acquisitions to prevent a monopoly in Banff and Jasper.
Pursuit, a global operator of hotels, attractions, and restaurants, owns 11 hotels and various private attractions in Banff, Jasper, and Waterton Lakes national parks, including the Banff Gondola and the Columbia Icefield Adventure.
Stuart Back, the Chief Operating Officer of Pursuit’s Banff Jasper Collection, emphasized the company’s positive impact on local communities, citing job creation, reinvestment of profits into local operations, and fundraising for Jasper wildfire relief. Despite the Competition Bureau finding no competition-related issues, Bester warned that monopolies could lead to higher costs for consumers without improvements in quality or innovation.
Bester called on Parks Canada to ensure competition promotion when private operators operate within the parks, emphasizing the importance of vigilance even when regulatory bodies do not intervene.
The Canadian Anti-Monopoly Project’s concerns about Pursuit’s ownership of paid attractions and hotels in the Rockies were underscored in a recent letter. Stuart Back of Pursuit’s Banff Jasper Collection addressed these concerns, highlighting the company’s role in Alberta’s mountain parks.
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