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"This report presents the results of a study of employment in the "visitor sector" of the Foothills Model Forest (FMF). A survey and analytical procedure were developed as a means of quantifying the contribution of this sector to the regional economy. The survey was distributed to all 387 visitor-related and visitor-driven businesses in the FMF. The survey responses (from 260 businesses) were analyzed for each major town (Hinton and Jasper) and for each industry in the visitor sector (tours and transportation, car repair and service stations, retail, restaurants and hotels, and other). The visitor sector was compared with the resource sectors of the FMF in terms of numbers of employees and contribution to the total FMF wage bill. The analysis suggests that the visitor sector is the largest employer in the region. Nonetheless, the economic contribution of the visitor sector in terms of total and average weekly wages is relatively small."

Many economists, politicians, and business people acknowledge the growing importance of tourists and other visitors to the economies of resource-dependent communities. The economic value of visitors to a region is difficult to measure because elements of the economy that cater to visitors. Restaurants and gas stations also make up part of the service sector for of the local residents. Statistical agencies are unable to distinguish purchases made by visitors from those made by local residents. In this study, a collection of secondary data sources was used to estimate the contribution of visitors to the economy of the Foothills Model Forest, in west central Alberta in 1997. This area provides a unique opportunity for this kind of study because it includes Jasper National Park, a popular visitor destination, and Hinton, a resource-based community. This paper also details the methodology used to obtain the estimates.

This study examines two policy process models with a view to understanding policy-related responses to climate change in the Prairie forest sector: the policy community network approach and the advocacy coalition framework. In the study, a questionnaire was sent to governmental & societal decision makers in the agriculture, forest, and water resource sectors. The survey examined existing policy communities and policy networks, as well as policy-oriented belief structures. The final section develops two hypotheses to examine the unique nature of Canadian resource-based policy communities. The first hypothesis is used to investigate the network of interactions among Prairie policy actors in all three sectors, and the second considers the beliefs of forest policy actors.

This study examines two policy process models with a view to understanding policy-related responses to climate change in the Prairie forest sector: the policy community network approach and the advocacy coalition framework. In the study, a questionnaire was sent to governmental & societal decision makers in the agriculture, forest, and water resource sectors. The survey examined existing policy communities and policy networks, as well as policy-oriented belief structures. The final section develops two hypotheses to examine the unique nature of Canadian resource-based policy communities. The first hypothesis is used to investigate the network of interactions among Prairie policy actors in all three sectors, and the second considers the beliefs of forest policy actors.