The Jasper Local January 15, 2020

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thejasperlocal.com

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wednesday, january 15, 2020 // ISSUE 161

ICE ICE BABY // NELA BULHAROWITCH LEADING HER FIRST CLIMB AT SCHWARTZ FALLS, WEST OF JASPER // LADA D PHOTOGRAPHY

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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 161 // wednesday, january 15, 2020

editorial //

Local Vocal It’s hard to think of spending the night in a tent when it’s minus 45 degrees Celsius outside, but if you want to camp in

Canada’s mountain parks this summer, that’s exactly what you were doing earlier this month.

At least that’s what you had hoped you’d be doing: online camping reservations opened up on January 7, however, the system suffered a major slowdown and users all over the world experienced frustration as they were blocked out of the site while the software attempted to process requests.

To be fair, the delay in JNP was apparently just 19 minutes long but the following day, when Banff National Park opened itself to the world, the online booking site was down for hours as tens of thousands of people trying to reserve their campsites overwhelmed the system.

If it wasn’t the same problem for the past several years, perhaps we could be a little more forgiving. But it’s tough to remain patient when you’re trying to plan a holiday eight months in advance at 8 a.m. on a Wednesday morning and the same issues keep cropping up.

What’s also frustrating is that when the time comes to pack the car and head to mountains, many of the folks who booked won’t actually show up to their campsites. This is more of an issue with backcountry campsites than it is with those in the front country but the fact remains: there aren’t enough financial penalties for people who don’t cancel their bookings. The result is that many coveted campsites sit empty, despite showing as full on the website.

These are all problems that were bound to arise when the booking system moved online. We know the supply and demand for national park campsites is extremely askew and we accept the first come, first serve philosophy seems like the only fair way to approach it.

But is it? The Lake O’Hara shuttle bus is going to a lottery system to reduce stress on the system and the Maligne Lake Ski Club uses a random draw to book guests into its Shangri-la Cabin here in JNP. Is it time to institute something similar for our national campsites?

Some have suggested dividing the booking windows between different dates and still others have said Canadians should have the first crack at national park campsites.

Something’s got to give: it’s embarrassing to think that all across the country, online users are simultaneously screaming at their screens, cursing the organization that is built to help people access and appreciate our national treasures. Mind you, if it takes your mind off this polar vortex, I suppose that’s a good thing. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

Clearing up clinic history Re: Farewell good doctor (December 15) Dear editor, Thanks for the nice article on Dr. Addison’s retirement.

There were, however, a few errors regarding the location of the previous Cottage Clinics. The original clinic was in a small house that stood where the Kimchi House restaurant and LouLous is now located.

That little building

also housed The Hava Java House, the Kimchi and likely someone’s family home initially.

From there the clinic moved to a renovated house which sat where the parking lot of the Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge is now.

The current Cottage Clinic once housed the Health Unit. As part of the construction of the Alpine Summit and Long Term Care facility, the location of the

various services were rearranged.

It was a complex process involving various levels of government, public and private sector interests.

Kudos to all who were involved to bring this to fruition.

Just thought you might like to know a bit of our medical past. If only from the real estate perspective.

Sandra Coombe, Jasper

The Jasper Local //

Jasper’s independent alternative newspaper 780.852.9474 • thejasperlocal.com • po box 2046, jasper ab, t0e 1e0

Published on the 1st and 15th of each month Editor / Publisher

Bob Covey.................................................................................... bob@thejasperlocal.com Art Director

Nicole covey......................................................................... nicole@thejasperlocal.com Advertising + sales

Email us today.......................................................................... bob@thejasperlocal.com cartoonist

Deke.................................................................................................deke@thejasperlocal.com

facebook.com/thejasperlocal

@thejasperlocal

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// local community

wednesday, january 15, 2020 // issue 161 // the jasper local// page A3

//JASPER TEENS STAYED WARM BY COOKING UP A STORM AT THE DECEMBER 12 COMMUNITY DINNER AT THE JASPER ACTIVITY CENTRE. DINNER’S ON EVERY SUNDAY AT 5 P.M. // B COVEY

New snow clearing plan for MOJ Jasper Municipal administration is hoping to change the way snow removal services are delivered in Jasper.

At the January 14 Committee of the Whole meeting, Director of Operations John Greathead presented a pilot project to modify Jasper’s snow removal parking restrictions and notification system to improve winter road maintenance.

“We’re pitching a new system for parking patterns,” said Legislative Services Manager, Christine Nadon. “And if we can successfully implement the pilot project, the whole town could be cleaned up in just a few days.”

Last winter, the municipality trialed a loader-mounted snow blower to remove windrows from town streets. Initial feedback from operators determined that the new equipment was much more efficient than the old system, which relied on loaders to bucket the windrows into awaiting trucks.

“We’re going three times as fast as we used to,”

Nadon said.

That was the good news.

The bad news was that the parking restrictions couldn’t keep up; entire neighbourhoods were cleared before the next neighbourhood could be given adequate (24-hour) notice to remove cars from the street.

But while administration considered the logistics of getting more signs and recruiting more manpower to serve snow clearing notice, another issue was cropping up: parking lanes weren’t being cleared. Sure the driving lanes were passable but operators were suddenly hearing complaints that, in comparison to past practice when streets would be cleared curb-to-curb, parking lanes were being neglected.

Technically, Jasper’s service standards only dictate that the roads are passable.

However, Nadon and Greathead want to resolve the issue of clearing parking lanes as well.

“The fact that little signage has been placed in recent weeks resulted in frustration

from residents and inefficiencies in operations,” Greathead wrote.

To remedy the issue, the Operations Department is proposing to trial a new method of notification which would consist of two parking patterns (red and blue) to communicate which sides of the streets would be plowed and where not to park on a specific day.

“This would make our work quicker, reduce costs and improve resident satisfaction.”

The change would mean the town moves away from enforcement-based compliance to voluntary compliance. The plan also hinges on clear communication through webbased maps, newspaper ads and social media campaigns.

Nadon is optimistic the new system will be a gamechanger.

“Administration believes that residents and visitors will have a natural tendency to comply…provided that they receive timely information to allow them to do so.”

Bob Covey //

bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page B1 // the jasper local // issue 161 // wednesday, january 15, 2020

local global //

LIVE LOCAL, ACT GLOBAL:

Jasperites pitching in for wildfire relief

Jasperites are pitching in to send relief funds down under. At left, Chef/owner of Syrahs of Jasper, Jason Munn, is featuring an Australianthemed dinner menu on January 26 and donating 25 per cent of proceeds to the Red Cross. Over at Sun House Café, Max Hester, owner Tim Horrocks and Tim Starck are donating a portion of each coffee and food item, as well as hosting a raffle, for wildlife support. // bob Covey

Wildfires in the Australian outback might seem a world away but a handful of Jasperites want to make helping those affected by the climate change crisis a little bit easier.

Tim Horrocks is from Australia.

In June, 2018 he and his wife, Jasper-born Kristin Robinson,

opened the Sunhouse Café, At that time, the wildfires were importing coffee culture from just flaring up but since then, down under to their secondmore than 4.9 million hectares storey Patricia have been Street shop. burned. The This past state forests “In Jasper we’ve all worked October, the and national with or met or become couple went parks Horfriends with Australians.” back to visit rocks grew family and up visiting friends in have been New South Wales, the state most ravaged. severely impacted by wildfires.

“Byron Bay was tinder dry,” Horrocks recalled. “It’s been consecutive days of high temperatures met with consecutive days of high wind.”

Since Horrock and Robinson have come back to Canada, the crisis in Australia has intensified. Half a billion animals are believed to have perished in the fires. A state of emergency has been declared in several Australian states. Military assistance has been necessary and $2 billion U.S. has been allocated to help rebuild vital infrastructure.

“It’s still early in the summer,” Horrocks said. “There’s still so much hot weather ahead.”

To help ease the immense burden, the staff at Sunhouse have organized a fundraiser wherein a portion of coffee and food sales is being put aside for the Wildlife Information Rescue and Education Service (WIRES).

Other Jasper businesses have jumped on board too, donating gift packages, prizes and experiences to a raffle booty from which Sunhouse will eventually draw winners.

“One of the most inspiring things is all the other businesses that are getting behind it,” Horrocks said.

Over at Syrahs of Jasper, chef/ owner Jason Munn will be prep-

ping an Australian-inspired menu for January 26. The national day of Australia gives Munn and his team an opportunity to reach out to the Australians who, over the years, have come to Jasper to work and live.

“In Jasper we all have worked with or met or become friends with Australians,” Munn said.

“We have that connection. When you see this type of thing happening on the other side of the world you want to help.”

To that end, Syrahs is donating 25 per cent of its proceeds on January 26 to the Australian Red Cross. Serving staff, too, have agreed to donate 25 per cent of their gratuities.

As for the Australian Day menu, along with featured Australian wines, Munn is excited to present something that Canadian diners don’t see on everyday special boards: kangaroo. A staple protein in Australian diets, kangaroo is lean, high in iron—and in this case, where Munn has brought in the loin— extremely tender.

Syrahs, which specializes in wild game, will have its regular menu items available as well, but regardless if diners want to get adventurous, they’d best act expeditiously: the fundraiser is booking up.

“It’s an opportunity to live local and act global,” Munn said.

Horrocks, too, designed Sunhouse Café’s fundraiser so that Jasperites could contribute while going about their daily routines.

“It’s an easy way to get involved,” he said. “And the fact that the word is spreading is one of the most gratifying things of all.”

Disclosure: the author is employed part time at Syrahs of Jasper bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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wednesday, january 15, 2020 // issue 161 // the jasper local// page B2

Local community//

Mayor's Award for perennial volunteers

Asked if they were attending the 2019 Community Christmas Party last month, Jasperites Wayne Kennedy and Janice Yeaman were initially unenthusiastic.

“It had been a pretty busy social season already,” Janice recalled. “Wayne kind of said ‘nah.’”

But then Kathleen and Warren Waxer called. The Waxers convinced their friends joining them at the soiree might be fun.

“A date with Kathleen and Warren?

Who’s going to turn that down?”

Janice laughed.

The night of the party, Janice and Wayne mingled with the crowd before settling into their seats to listen to Mayor Richard Ireland’s annual, anticipated speech.

“He’s always so good at those,” Wayne said. “I leaned over and said ‘I feel sorry for the poor schmuck who has to follow him.’”

As Mayor Ireland’s speech continued, his talk turned to the value of volunteerism in the community. Then came the kicker: Ireland was about to present a Special Mayor’s Award—the highest possible recognition from the Municipality of Jasper. The award honours individuals whose service achievements have been of singular significance.

As the audience listened attentively, Ireland dropped a hint as to who was being recognized this year. One of

the individuals in question was wellknown not just for his volunteerism, but for his unique style while engaged in it, Ireland said. That was the tip-off.

“As soon as he said something about the Thrift Shop and wearing funny hats, I knew Richard was talking about Wayne,” Janice said.

Turns out, the poor schmuck that had to follow Mayor Ireland was Wayne himself. Luckily, just like in everyday life, he had Janice to lean on. For it wasn’t only Wayne being recognized with a Mayor’s Special Award, but Janice as well. They are, after all, a team.

“Janice and Wayne are the embodiment of community. They are the people you can count on to get things done, to keep the wheels in motion and to have endless energy to give back to our town,” Ireland said.

Janice and Wayne came to Jasper from Kamloops in 1980. It wasn’t long before they were connected with service clubs and community organizations. As a railroader, Wayne didn’t volunteer as much as his wife, a long-time Girl Guides of Canada leader, but when he retired, he made up for lost time.

“Janice told me you aren’t just going to sit and watch TV and get fat,” Wayne laughed.

Apparently he listened. Wayne soon got connected to the volunteer circles at the Jasper United Church. That was 20 years ago.

Between the attached McCready Centre and Thrift Shop, he’s spent

//Wayne Kennedy and Janice Yeaman, seen here at the Library’s Secret Garden Tour, have been volunteering in Jasper for 35 years. // b covey

nearly 15 hours a week there ever since.

“I met a whole section of people that I didn’t know,” he said. “I found out there’s some pretty interesting people down here.”

Coordinating, sorting, cleaning, shovelling…Wayne’s the hands-on type. Janice, on the other hand, is an organizer by nature. Together they make a dynamic duo that, according to Ireland’s research, do the job of more than a dozen volunteers.

“For decades they have pulled off so many events, fundraisers and day-to-day operations that we’d never be able to list them all,” Ireland told the audience December 20.

Between the Thrift Shop, the Jasper Museum, the Festival of Trees, the Canada Day Parade, the Jasper Heritage Folk Festival and many more community boards and committees, Wayne Kennedy and Janice Yeaman have donated thousands of hours of their time to Jasper. Whether it’s Janice’s baking or Wayne’s newsletters, their efforts have helped make Jasperites’ lives sweeter and more connected.

And when asked why they volunteer, they both had the same answer: it’s about the people.

“Volunteering allows you to meet people from the whole spectrum,” Wayne said. “It’s kind of cool.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page b3+B4 // the jasper local // issue 161 // WEDNESDAY. JANUARY 15, 2020

FEATURE story //

JASPER IN JANUARY IS HERALDED AS THE FESTIVAL WHERE YOU CAN FIND JASPER “AT ITS MOST AUTHENTIC.”

While that may simply be a lowkey way for Tourism Jasper to say visitors are going to have to share the street parties, ski lifts and music venues with locals, fear not: the Jasperites who are responsible for putting the 16day extravaganza together do so with the intent of everyone coming together under the same blizzardy banner.

In fact, if you notice Jasperites are first in line at the sugar shacks, the beer tents and the demo days, you can rest assured that these are the hippest happenings in which to take part.

In that spirit, we’ve narrowed the list of more than 100 events down to five of our favourites.

Appearing in no particular order, here are five “Locals’ Choice” activities that we think you should check out this Jasper in January:

Ice Climbing 101

You might think ice climbing is just for energy drink-chugging, helmet cam-wearing, extreme athletes with a death wish. Far

LO DO JA GE from it! Ice climbing is perfectly accessible for young kids as well as past-their-primers and Jasper is a mecca for those willing to try this incredible sport.

ropes, ice axes and crampons— plus the wherewithal to use these tools, this is a sport to slide into slowly, with the help of someone experienced. Once you

Local guiding outfit Rockaboo Mountain Adventures might take first timers to Maligne Canyon, where a gallery of chandelier-like ice formations lead to a bevy of beginner routes, or you might head down the Icefields Parkway to Tangle Falls, where glacial waters have solidified into a heavenly staircase. Because of the specialized equipment required—including harnesses,

and the kids top out on your first pillar of frozen water, however, you’ll feel like you’ve conquered winter (no energy drink needed). Various dates, book in advance: info@rockaboo.ca $184

Buzz 2020

Jasper Artists Guild is once again hosting Buzz, an upbeat art exhibition for Jasper visual artists of all stripes to share

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OCAL’S CHOICE: ON’T MISS THESE ASPER IN JANUARY

BY BOB COVEY EMS work and gain exposure. With the opening night reception timed to coincide with the Jasper in January street party and fireworks, JAG is a great spot to find warmth, food, refreshments and exciting new art. Discover the next Michael Flisak or Karly

local francophone association, even if you don’t take part in the bike-ski-snowshoe-skaterun combination, listening to the cheers for participants echo across a mountainous amphitheatre c’est incroyable.

Teams of one to five. Register: jasper@acfa.ab.ca February 1, $40.

out on micro brewing; or a glamorous getaway where you can alternate between soaking in the outdoor hot tub and sampling Alberta’s coolest craft beers. With guest appearances from renown brewmasters and industry legends, ludicrously lavish food and drink pairings and a hospitality like only the Fairmont knows how to do, this is a beer geek’s dream package. Tickets from $99: www. albertabeerfestivals. com January 31-Feb 2.

Jasper Park Lodge

Fat Bikes and Bonfires

MacDonald and know that 25 per cent of all proceeds support the guild. Drinks provided by the Liquor Lodge. January 25, 6 - 10 p.m. Details: www. jasperartistsguild.com

Jasper Winter Pentathlon Hinerval The Winter Pentathlon is a made-in-Jasper event that brings together so much of what makes this community great: our diverse culture, our athleticism, our connection to nature and our community spirit.

It’s a perfect blend of competition and fun: while the event is timed and winners are declared, there are also prizes for best costumes. Where else can a snowshoeing Chewbacca be cheered on by a pack of Minions while an ultra-marathoner in a retro one-piece gets his skates tied by a zombie bride? Championed by the

If you still haven’t jumped on a fat bike, now’s your chance to do so while getting to know the lay of the land in Jasper and maybe tally a prize or two while you’re at it.

The “poker run” concept, wherein participants pedal from fire pit to fire pit around Jasper to collect a winning poker If you notice Jasperites hand, is a good way to are first in line you can burn off the hot chocolate rest assured these are the and smores being served up by volunteers. Join hippest happenings.

Jasper’s fat biking fire chief Greg Van Tighem Jasper Beer and Spirits and The Bench Bike Shop to Festival help raise funds for the MS Depending on how you decide Society while seeing what all to play it, the Jasper Beer the fat fun is about. January and Spirits Festival is either a 23, $10. Register at The Bench three-day Superbowl party; a Bike Shop (780) 852-7768 weekend conference to nerdbob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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Local Business

page B5 // the jasper local //issue 161 // wednesday, january 15, 2020

After 40 years, Edge Control comes full circle Back in 1978, Blair Timmins was living the Jasper life.

When he wasn’t carving up the slopes he was tuning skis at Marmot Basin.

But Timmins, fresh out of the Alberta oil patch, was frustrated with his job. The 24-year-old never had enough time to service customers’ skis properly. Between the time the last skiers dropped off their rentals and when the last staff bus left for town, Timmins could hardly get his work done.

In that problem, however, Timmins saw an opportunity. He knew there was a demand for high-quality, overnight ski tuning services.

“Jasper skiers either slaved over their own equipment or put up with round edges,” he said.

So began the first incarnation of Edge Control. Tucked into a tiny corner of the Astoria Hotel, next to where customers today pay for their drinks at the De’d Dog, Timmins and his then business partners set up a tiny ski shop. Skiers would drop their gear off from 4 to 6 p.m. and pick it up the next day between 8 and 10 a.m.

“And from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. we’d go skiing,” Timmins laughed.

Those were care-free days. But eventually, Timmins and his business partners decided that simply tuning skis wasn’t going to cut it. They moved the shop to 606 Patricia Street, currently the home of The Bench Bike Shop. They

//Blair Timmins has been tuning skis in Jasper for more than 40 years, a testament to Edge Control’s professional reputation. The store is downsizing to a new Connaught Drive location. // bob Covey

acquired a rental fleet, but the business was still winter-only.

In the meantime, Paula Beauchamp, Blair’s girlfriend, was working with of the Friends of Jasper’s interpretive guide service.

When Parks Canada discontinued that program, Beauchamp went freelance, but not before she saw the brisk retail business that was taking place at the Information Centre. She and Blair sensed another opportunity, but it would mean making Edge Control a yearround venture.

“It was kind of scary going yearround,” she recalled.

With the help of Bob Baxter,

however, it was made a little less intimidating. Baxter got Edge Control into his family’s building on Connaught Drive. From 1993-2005 Edge Control occupied the space where The Spice Joint currently pumps out reggae tunes and jerk chicken.

“We were starting to get the right product offering by then,” Timmins recalls. “It took us a few years to get a good product mix.”

All the while, Edge Control’s reputation as professional boot fitters was growing. Their regular clientele was broadening and their passion for the area was spreading. Walks and Talks Jasper, Paula’s hiking and interpretive tour business, was

also starting to bloom.

“We’ve been lucky to have a strong local following, not just in Jasper but Edmontonians too,” she said.

Their customers followed them when they uprooted again, this time to the 626 Connaught storefront, where they’ve been since 2005. Retail isn’t an easy game to play in Jasper, but for Edge Control, just like the ski tuning technology, which has transformed from belt sanders to $80,000 stone tuners and ceramic disc edgers, Timmins said the business has had to evolve.

“You have to be prepared to tough it out,” he said.

And so begins what feels like the final metamorphosis of Edge Control—a downsizing. After 15 years in their current space, the shop is moving down the street, to 618 Connaught. More importantly, Timmins and Beauchamp are scaling back to a winter-only shop. No more summer “retail jail.”

The move feels like their life in Jasper is coming full circle.

“It’s going to free up some time and give us a chance to do things differently,” Timmins said.

Of course some things will never change. Edge Control might have a new location come February 1, but Timmins and Beauchamp will still be living the same Jasper life.

“We couldn’t have made it 40 years without the loyalty of our customers,” he said. “We look forward to seeing them at the new location.”. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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local wildlife //

Photos by Simone Heinrich // insta: Simoneheinrichphotography

wednesday, january 15, 2020 // issue 161 // the jasper local// page B6