Cash-strapped Parks Canada is getting into the fashion business, with a line of Parks Canada clothing launching this week.

To side-step controversy — the RCMP was criticized for partnering with Disney in 1995 — Parks Canada awarded the licence to a Canadian company after a public bidding process.

“The key is connecting Canadians with parks and historical sites through a really cool line of clothing,” said John Houlding, founder and president of Cotton Candy Inc., which has offices from coast to coast.

Houlding is also a former Olympic rower who represented Canada at the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles and the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Korea.

The collection is made up of quality casual wear pieces, bearing the trademarked Parks Canada beaver logo from the 1970s. Other images include a rendering of Tom Thomson’s iconic The Jack Pine painting, and a fully antlered moose.

Creative director Roger Edwards said the tagline for the Canada Parks Original clothing is “This Land is Your Brand” — to reflect the connection Canadians feel to their country and its national parks and historic sites.

T-shirts start at $39 and hoodies at $129. The debut lineup also includes long-sleeve shirts, pullovers and jackets.

No one knows how much the licensing agreement might be worth — that depends on how well the clothing line sells and how big it gets — but the hope is that sales will climb into the millions of dollars annually, pouring money into the coffers of Parks Canada.

Parks Canada is cutting back services to make up for budget cuts, the Star’s Alex Boutilier reported this month.

Documents obtained by the Star showed Parks Canada is on track to cut $27.2 million from its $659.7 million 2014-15 budget. That is in addition to a total of $25.7 million in operational cuts over the two previous years.

The Star reported in December that Parks Canada is struggling with a $2.8-billion backlog of maintenance and repair work.

Parks Canada is responsible for 44 national parks, 167 national historic sites and four national marine conservation areas. In all, 20,650,000 people visited the parks and sites last year, said Andrew Campbell, vice-president of visitor experience at Parks Canada.

The idea of selling a line of Parks Canada clothing arose before the federal government began its deficit reduction action plan, requiring federal agencies to cut back on costs, said Campbell.

He said surveys conducted about five years ago revealed visitors want to be able to purchase mementos of their visits to parks and historical sites. Currently, there is a limited range of items to purchase at Parks Canada centres.

The five-year contract with Cotton Candy was signed in 2012. By the end of the contract, Parks Canada hopes to be generating between $600,000 and $800,000 annually from sales of clothing and some memorabilia at its own sites, said Campbell.

“We’ve taken how we’ve used our logo and the licensing very seriously. We don’t want it to be everywhere, on everything,” he said.

The complete collection will be available online (thebay.com) as well as at the Hudson’s Bay location in Banff, the Hudson’s Bay Co. Trading Post at Pearson airport, and at Vancouver International Airport, beginning this week.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

Parks Canada has the final say in what products come to market, and 8 per cent of wholesale sales will be returned to Parks Canada.

The clothing is made in Toronto using ethically sourced cotton, which was an HBC requirement, said Cotton Candy’s Houlding.

“I’ve been in rehearsal for 30 years for the honour of doing this collection,” said Edwards, the creative director.

Edwards is a former Toronto Fashion Designer of the Year, with expertise in marrying sports with vintage clothing, including clients in the NHL, CFL, NFL, NBA and Team Canada.

Edwards said he fell in love with Canada’s national parks while crossing the country with two canoes and an Irish setter in a Volkswagen Westfalia.

The RCMP generated controversy in 1995 after it was reported the police force signed an exclusive licensing deal with Disney Canada. There was no public tendering process. That agreement has expired.

Pete MacCormack, chief operating officer of the RCMP Foundation, said Disney was in fact only hired to consult on developing the licensing program for the RCMP. The arm’s-length RCMP Foundation now holds the master licensing agreement and operates the program for the RCMP, he said.

The royalties have contributed to initiatives in areas including drug awareness, crime prevention, literacy, victim services and Internet safety.

Licensed products are available for sale at The Mountie Shop online and at RCMP stores at RCMP facilities and tourist destinations in Ottawa. They range from RCMP-themed throw pillows for $34.99 to keychains for $5.99.

Last year, revenues from RCMP licensing were $300,000, according to MacCormack.

Their best-selling category is plush toys.