James B. Harkin

James Bernard Harkin was the first Commissioner of Dominion Parks (1911–1936). He defined the Canadian national park as a distinct legal and cultural entity; not merely a forest reserve awaiting extraction; and created the “dual mandate” (use vs. preservation) that park managers still navigate.

Inviolability. Harkin moved parks policy toward a preservationist ideal. He argued that certain spaces were spiritual sanctuaries for an increasingly urban population; that the psychological value of “unimpaired” nature outweighed the economic value of the timber on it. Before the National Parks Act (1930), parks were managed under the Dominion Forest Reserves and Parks Act, which blurred the line between park and timber limit. Harkin pushed for separation. The 1930 Act enshrined the dedication clause: “The Parks are hereby dedicated to the people of Canada for their benefit, education and enjoyment… and the Parks shall be maintained and made use of so as to leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.”

Lake Louise and the Bow Valley. During Harkin’s tenure the Bow Valley was an industrial corridor; coal towns (Bankhead, Anthracite), timber berths. Harkin worked to extinguish industrial claims within Banff National Park boundaries. He allowed the CPR to develop Chateau Lake Louise (tourism) but blocked coal mining and logging that would mar the viewscape. He drew a circle around Lake Louise where the only permitted industry was tourism.

Profit-driven preservation. Harkin knew the government would not protect land solely for spiritual reasons. He calculated the dollar value of every tourist and argued that scenery was a commodity with a unique property: “We can sell our scenery, and we still have it.” He championed automobiles in the parks (banned initially, allowed by 1915) and road-building; including the Banff–Windermere Highway. By proving that a tourist in a car generated more revenue than a logger with a saw, he secured political capital to protect land from extraction. His strategy; use tourism to defeat logging; planted the seeds of today’s paradox: the traffic jams, shuttle requirements, and overcrowding at Lake Louise and Moraine Lake are descendants of his success. He invited the car to save the park; now managers struggle to manage the car to save the park.