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From: Mike Grandmaison
Date: April 3, 2008 9:18:35 PM MDT (CA)
To: Grandmaison Mike
Subject: Unfair “Commercial photography” permit policy covering Alberta provincial lands
Dear colleagues:
If you plan on photographing in Alberta anytime soon, you would be well advised to read about an Alberta Government policy that could affect your travel plans and your pocket book!
Darwin Wigget and Samantha Chrysanthou will be meeting with John Findlay, Parks Operation Manager with Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation, on April 16, 2008 at 9:00 AM to try and convince the Alberta Government to exclude freelance photographers from the above policy. We urge you to write a letter of support and send a copy to either Darwin or Samantha, as well as the folks listed below. They would like to have as many letters as possible to bring to the meeting. Royce Howland, Executive Editor of NatureScapes.net, has graciously offered his own letter for anyone to adapt if you so wish. The letter is here attached.
In a nutshell, based on what we know so far, this policy stipulates that any freelance photographer photographing on Alberta provincial land would now need to:
a) apply manually for a paper-based permit that has to be issued in advance and covers only certain specified regions and/or limited periods of time (could take a few days)
b) purchase mandatory general liability insurance;
c) and pay permit fees over and above what any other tourist or recreational user of the public lands would pay
You can read more about this issue at: http://www.naturescapes.net/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=127997
PLEASE, SEND your letter to:
a) The Hon. Cindy Ady, Minister of Tourism, Parks and Recreation (and MLA for Calgary-Shaw):
#229 Legislature Building
10800 - 97 Avenue
Edmonton AB T5K 2B6
phone: (780) 427-4928
fax: (780) 427-0188
email: calgary.shaw@assembly.ab.ca
b) Parks Operation Manager, Alberta Tourism, Parks and Recreation:
John Findlay
John.Findlay@gov.ab.ca
c) Travel Alberta
info@travelalberta.com
http://www.travelalberta.com/
d) Canmore Tourism
info@tourismcanmore.com
http://www.tourismcanmore.com/
e) The Hon. Janis Tarchuk, MLA for Banff-Canmore-Cochrane
banff.cochrane@assembly.ab.ca
f) Darwin: wiggett@telusplanet.net or
Samantha : chrysalizz@yahoo.ca
Feel free to pass this note along to any freelance photographer who photographs in Alberta!
Thank you kindly in advance for your support.
All the best,
Mike Grandmaison
