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Canadian Camping & RV Association — 2026

Federal Advocacy Positions

CCRVA advocates on three priority files that directly affect the viability of Canada's private campgrounds — and the ability of Canadians to access affordable outdoor recreation from coast to coast.

⇩  Download the 2026 Advocacy Kit (PDF) ☷  Economic Impact Stats ☷  Industry Definitions
Income Tax Act Amendment Electrical Infrastructure Disaster Relief Funding
Campground icon
Key Message 1

Keeping Camping Accessible for Canadians: Amendment to the Income Tax Act

Amend the Income Tax Act to classify small, family-run campgrounds with fewer than five full-time year-round employees as active businesses, making them eligible for the Small Business Deduction.

The Issue

Camping is one of the most accessible, affordable ways for Canadian families to connect with this country's natural landscapes. But the campgrounds that make that possible are being taxed as passive investments. The Income Tax Act currently classifies campgrounds as "Specified Investment Businesses" (SIBs) — the same category as rental properties and investment portfolios — despite the fact that running a campground is entirely hands-on, requiring year-round management, seasonal staffing, infrastructure maintenance, and active guest services. As a result, campground owners face a tax rate of up to 50%, compared to the 15% Small Business Deduction available to virtually every other small business in Canada.

Why It Matters

Operational Uncertainty: The current case-by-case reassessment approach creates ongoing uncertainty for campground owners, who cannot reliably predict their tax treatment from year to year. This instability directly impacts business planning, limits access to financing, compresses profit margins, and delays or prevents critical reinvestment in infrastructure, services, and guest experience.
When campground owners cannot reinvest in their operations, the impact is felt by campers: prices rise, services decline, and parks close. The campgrounds that remain open and thriving are the ones that keep camping affordable and accessible for Canadian families. This financial pressure is further compounded by inconsistent CRA reassessments, which introduce risk into long-term planning and reduce operators' ability to confidently invest in improvements that enhance affordability and the overall camping experience for Canadians.
75–80% of Canada's private campgrounds are family-run operations with fewer than five full-time year-round employees — the very businesses most affected by this misclassification, and most essential to maintaining diverse, affordable camping options coast to coast.
Correcting this classification doesn't create a new program or new spending — it simply gives campground owners the same fair tax treatment as every other small business in Canada, so they can continue to be the places where Canadians experience the outdoors.
Policy Recommendations
  • Legislative Change: Amend the Income Tax Act to classify small, family-run campgrounds with fewer than five full-time year-round employees as active businesses eligible for the Small Business Deduction — so the campgrounds Canadians rely on can afford to stay open and invest in their operations.
  • Exemption for Seasonal Businesses: Provide an exemption for seasonal businesses from classification as a "Specified Investment Business," recognizing that hands-on, guest-facing operations are not passive investments.
  • Simplified Qualification Process: Establish a streamlined, permanent qualification process for the Small Business Deduction, eliminating the need for ongoing case-by-case adjudication by the CRA. The current approach creates financial uncertainty, undermines business planning, and places campground viability at risk year over year.
Electrical infrastructure icon
Key Message 2

Electrical Infrastructure Improvements

Address the growing electrical supply gap in rural and remote Canada — through grid upgrades, public-private partnerships, strategic investment, and targeted incentives — so that campgrounds can continue to serve Canadians as demand for power grows and EV travel becomes the norm.

The Issue

The challenge facing rural and remote campgrounds is not simply a matter of funding EV chargers — it is a fundamental electrical supply problem. Many campgrounds already operate at or near the limit of available grid capacity, and that gap will only widen as demand grows. EV adoption, increasingly power-dependent RV technology, and heightened guest expectations are accelerating a crisis that already exists today. Without action to stimulate overall electrical supply and grid capacity in rural Canada, campgrounds will be unable to meet current demand — let alone future needs. Campgrounds cannot solve a supply-side infrastructure problem on their own, and the Canadians who depend on them for affordable outdoor recreation will bear the cost if government does not act.

Why It Matters

Growing Demand for EV Charging: Electric vehicles and electric RV components are no longer emerging technology — they are mainstream. RV owners are increasingly selecting campsites based on charging availability, and campgrounds without it are losing bookings. Rural and remote campgrounds are the least likely to have the capital or grid access needed to keep pace.
The Rural Access Gap: Urban campgrounds near population centres have greater access to capital and grid infrastructure. The campgrounds most likely to be left behind are the rural and remote ones — often the very destinations Canadians most want to reach. Without targeted support, camping access in Canada's more remote regions will narrow.
Sustainability and Federal Alignment: Upgrading campground electrical systems supports Canada's own climate commitments — enabling EV charging, reducing generator use, and supporting green energy solutions at tourism destinations nationwide. Dedicated rural tourism infrastructure funding would ensure campgrounds can deliver on this.
Policy Recommendations
  • Increase Funding: Allocate dedicated funding for electrical infrastructure upgrades at rural and remote campgrounds — the destinations most likely to be left behind as EV demand grows.
  • Upgrade Electrical Grids: Prioritize rural grid upgrades that enable campgrounds to support EV charging — ensuring Canadians can access scenic destinations regardless of how they travel.
  • Public-Private Partnerships: Facilitate partnerships between government, utility providers, and campground operators to accelerate upgrades in areas where grid limitations make individual investment unviable.
  • Strategic Investment: Direct investment toward regions with the greatest gap between EV adoption rates and available charging capacity — so camping access isn't determined by geography.
  • Incentives for Development: Provide tax incentives or grants for campground owners who invest in electrical upgrades, recognizing that these improvements serve a public function.
  • Research and Development: Support applied research into cost-effective electrical solutions for remote and off-grid campground settings where conventional grid upgrades are not feasible.
Disaster relief icon
Key Message 3

Disaster Mitigation and Business Relief Funding

CCRVA advocates for the establishment of a Disaster Mitigation and Business Relief Fund (DMBRF) to provide financial assistance to campground owners affected by natural disasters and to support proactive mitigation measures — so that the places Canadians go to experience the outdoors can recover, rebuild, and remain open.

The Issue

Natural disasters — wildfires, floods, extreme weather events — are increasing in both frequency and severity across Canada, and campgrounds are on the front lines. Located in the forests, valleys, and lakeshores that Canadians love most, campgrounds are uniquely exposed to climate-related risk. Canada's 2023 wildfire season was the worst on record; 2024 continued the trend. Yet many campground owners still cannot access government disaster relief because they are seasonal operations — and existing programs are designed for year-round businesses. When a campground is destroyed and cannot access recovery funding, it often doesn't reopen. That means a camping destination — sometimes one that has served a community for generations — is simply gone.

Why It Matters

Vulnerability to Natural Disasters: Campgrounds are disproportionately located in wildfire and flood zones. Their seasonal operating structure means they routinely fall outside the eligibility windows of existing disaster relief programs, leaving them without support precisely when they need it most.
What's Lost When Campgrounds Don't Recover: When a campground closes permanently after a disaster, the loss isn't just economic — it's a loss of access. Rural and remote campgrounds serve communities with limited alternatives; when they're gone, camping in that region often becomes inaccessible. A dedicated relief fund is about ensuring those destinations can come back.
Financial Recovery and Resilience: The DMBRF would provide campground owners with timely access to financial support after a disaster, and fund proactive mitigation — fire-resistant infrastructure, flood barriers, emergency preparedness planning — that reduces the risk of closure in the first place.
Policy Recommendations
  • Establish DMBRF: Create a dedicated fund tailored to the realities of seasonal campground businesses — with eligibility criteria that reflect how these operations actually function, not how year-round businesses do.
  • Financial Assistance: Provide timely funding to cover property damage, lost seasonal revenue, and business continuity — ensuring campgrounds can reopen for the following season rather than face permanent closure.
  • Proactive Mitigation: Fund campground-specific mitigation measures — fire-resistant infrastructure, flood barriers, emergency access planning — so the places Canadians count on for outdoor recreation are better equipped to withstand increasing climate risk.