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Parks Canada isn’t pressing charges against Banff National Park superintendent Salman Rasheed after he admitted to violating federal law by having his dog off-leash.
Parks Canada spokesperson Jennifer Burnell said in a statement Monday the “law enforcement investigation has now concluded” and the federal agency wouldn’t provide additional information.
“Information related to law enforcement investigations is not disclosed publicly unless charges are laid through the provincial court system, which is not the case in this instance,” Burnell said.
CBC News requested an interview, but Burnell declined. Rasheed, Parks Canada acting CEO and senior vice-president of transformation Andrew Campbell and vice-president of operations Jewel Cunningham didn’t immediately get back to CBC News.
Cunningham previously said Parks Canada was “reviewing the matter further and will ensure appropriate action” after it had been referred to the law enforcement branch.
Both Rasheed and Parks Canada previously admitted the incident took place, with Rasheed calling it an “isolated lapse in judgment.” As the top bureaucrat in Banff National Park, Rasheed is the regulator of federal law for Parks Canada.
The incident became public when the Bow Valley media outlet Rocky Mountain Outlook reported, with an image, that Rasheed was walking his dog Max on the Tunnel Mountain trail in Banff.
It’s illegal to have an off-leash dog in Canadian national parks, and the incident with Rasheed came two months after a high-profile off-leash court case resulted in a $1,500 fine.
The Journal of Wildlife Management recently published a study looking at more than 300 conflicts between dogs and bears. They found dogs started more than half those conflicts, and five people and 56 dogs died.
‘Visitors and residents rightly expect that these rules apply equally to everyone’
Burnell said the federal agency only “recently became aware” of the image of Rasheed with an off-leash dog. She said “compliance with national park regulations is fundamental to protecting wildlife, pets, visitors and the ecological integrity of the places entrusted to our care.”
She added “visitors and residents rightly expect that these rules apply equally to everyone and Parks Canada fully agrees.”
Burnell said an internal administrative review began “through management channels,” and previously said “Parks Canada is satisfied that the matter was appropriately addressed.”
She said the process was a human resource matter, and Parks Canada wouldn’t comment on it.
From 2021-26, the Banff field unit had 503 reported off-leash dog incidents. Those resulted in 314 warnings and 22 charges. The Lake Louise, Yoho, Kootenay field unit had 106 reported incidents and 79 warnings. There were 27 charges.
Off-leash dog incidents can’t result in a criminal charge, but they can incur a fine of up to $25,000.
Since July 29, 2026, there have been 13 people admitting guilt in Canmore Court of Justice to various Canada National Parks Act violations. The most common are flying a drone and camping without a permit. The lowest fine has been $150 and the highest was $3,000.
