The Jasper Local July 1, 2020 by The Jasper Local

JASPER

The Local

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WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020 // ISSUE 168

Paint a picture // Jasper mountain bike guide Elissa Cummings on the

thejasperlocal.com

homestrech, framed by paintbrush and wild rose. Sections of the Pyramid Bench have been a refuge from high water all throughout the Athabasca Valley. // Bob Covey

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PAGE A2 //

The Jasper Local // ISSUE 167 // MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020

EDITORIAL //

Local Vocal Admit it, you’ve been peeping at people’s license plates. Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic was declared, it’s been hard for some locals to avoid casting a wary eye towards visiting vehicles. It’s a protective instinct, to be sure, but paranoia has been rearing its ugly head as of late. Like it or not, Jasper National Park opened on June 1. While some may feel that was too early, the fact is we live in a tourism-based economy and we’re dependent on visitors to put food on our tables. It’s been a hard thing to reckon with: we need people to come here but we also want to stay safe. The delicate balance is easily upset, and we’re seeing community members clash when one person’s green light is another person’s red flag. We need to remember that feelings of uncertainty in these unprecedented times are common; we can take solace that anxiety is an entirely appropriate feeling for this sort of challenge. Let’s be honest: we’re going to disagree on things like social distancing, mask wearing and when to speak up if we feel unsafe. Likewise, there are going to be shades of grey when it comes to making nonessential trips downtown, keeping within our family cohorts and travelling between communities. The other day, while gathered ‘round a fire pit with friends and friends-of-friends, I instinctively shared a hand shake with a new acquaintance. It was my first one since March. It felt great (dry, firm grip…a real connection)! But it also felt like I was being somehow irresponsible. My thoughts immediately went to my two-month-old son. Was my hearty salutation somehow compromising my family’s health? I know I’m not alone in feeling apprehensive when it comes to partaking in common social practices, and I know I’m not the only one who felt squirrly when I saw a handful of U.S. license plates in a hotel parking lot recently. However, it does little good, as a resident, to get worked up about potential breaches of COVID protocol—and besides, a whole suite of unknown factors may be at play (one Texas license plate does not a criminal make). The realities of living in a tourist town during a pandemic are upon us. Jasper needs visitors and not all of them will subscribe to the values that we deem necessary to make it through this crisis unscathed. As individuals, we have the power to affect how we approach our own health and safety, but like any other challenge, we can only control what we can control. So peep that license plate all you want, but spare our visitors—and yourself—the vigilante justice. BOB COVEY // bob@thejasperlocal.com

Welcome Back

The Jasper Local is grateful for the support we’ve received since re-launching June 1. Thank you to those who wrote in words of encouragement and entrusted us with your donations. ///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

We missed Deke

The good stuff

I am so pleased to see The Local back on the news stands. Thank you for a wonderful paper that focuses on local interesting stories and people.

This is in appreciation for what you do with your paper. I have really missed it lately so I do hope you are going to be able to continue with your “good stuff.”

ps. I’ve sure missed Deke’s cartoons! Glad to see him back.

The Jasper Local //

I really do enjoy your editorials. The pictures and stories about some

of the locals this last issue were excellent. Keep up the good work. ________________ Check mark! Welcome back! Enjoyed “COVID Community Check In.” Good news!

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

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Email us today.......................................................... bob@thejasperlocal.com Editorial Cartoonist

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// LOCAL VISITORS

MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2020 // ISSUE 167 // The Jasper Local // PAGE A3

Leanne Rief and Trent Glanz Wetaskiwin, AB Leanne Rief and Trent Glanz stopped into Jasper for food and a stretch on their way home to Wetaskiwin from Smithers, BC.

They have been here many times before, but this quick visit felt starkly different—for one thing, it wasn’t a hassle to park in town with a trailer in tow. “Usually there’s wall-to-wall traffic,” said Rief, looking down a relatively empty Connaught Drive. “Even in the winter, it’s usually way busier than this.” Rief and Glanz that despite heightened tensions and precautions in local businesses (being screened for COVID-19 on their way into the Jasper Brew Pub, for example), they

felt warmly welcomed by Jasper locals. Elsewhere, though, road trips have had a very different feel since COVID-19 arrived.

“Travelling is way different, everywhere,” said Rief. “Nobody wants to say hi on the street, and they move away. Canadians are usually so friendly, but not right now.” Despite this, Rief and Glanz were pretty content to be standing on an unseasonably

Megan Warren

empty Connaught Drive during a usually busy season. “It’s actually kind of nice, having it be less busy,” said Rief with a smile. MEGAN WARREN // thejasperlocal@gmail.com

Tourism Jasper gets funding to reach Albertans Tourism Jasper is getting a boost to support regional promotional initiatives this year.

The Destination Marketing Organization was among several DMOs to receive temporary operational funding from Travel Alberta and Western Economic Diversification Canada, as well as a onetime contribution from Destination Canada. Tourism Jasper’s President and CEO, James Jackson, says the operational funding is a huge boon for DMOs whose funding models, largely based on visitor levies,

have come to a screeching halt. The Destination Canada funding will be spent primarily on marketing Jasper to Albertans, with the caveat that if interprovincial travel opens up, there will likely be a portion used to reach potential travellers from B.C. and Saskatchewan. “But for now we’re focused on Alberta’s rubber tire market,” he said. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit the tourism sector hard. A Destination Canada report estimates Alberta will lose $4.5 billion in tourism spending—half of 2017

levels—including a $1 billion shortfall from U.S. and overseas markets. Here in Jasper, Jackson says that revenues could be down by as much as 70 per cent. “I hope I’m wrong but it’s important to be transparent to the business community,” he said. Jasper may look busier than that, but international guests tend to spend more and stay longer than regional visitors. Jackson says we’re already seeing Jasper’s visitation drop off mid-week, James said. “This summer will feel a lot like winter,” Jackson said. B COVEY // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 168 // WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

LOCAL STAFFING

Staff housing proponents looking for parking variance The Jasper Community Housing Corporation is forging ahead with plans to create affordable staff housing units on Connaught Drive.

show that affordable housing projects in compact, multi-use centres generate lower parking demands.

And though the JCHC hasn’t yet finalized how the housing complex will be governed, and it remains to be seen where the project’s funding will come from, to help get the project “shovel ready,” the JCHC first requires a significant parking variance from Parks Canada.

Furthermore, without the variance, the project, to be located at Parcel GC next to the Petro Canada on Connaught Drive, would require “a massive sea of asphalt,” Fercho said, a feature unbefitting of Jasper’s character and one which would compromise the nearby bike path.

“We’re marching ahead with the project so we’re positioned to take advantage of any money that might appear,” said Mark Fercho, the chair of the JCHC. “We want to get the parking variance out of the way.” On June 29, Parks Canada’s Planning and Development Advisory Committee convened to hear why the JCHC wants to reduce the required number of on-site parking stalls from 89 to 52. Fercho said the project is designed around a car-free lifestyle. In their application for the variance, the JCHC cites studies which

“It’s designed for the entrylevel worker population for seasonal workers in Jasper, a lot of whom don’t drive cars,” Fercho said.

“The idea of having a large lot paved like a Walmart parking lot, I don’t think is fitting of a mountain town,” he said. While the JCHC seeks its parking variance, it is also seeking a builder. Companies which the JCHC has prequalified to compete for the job will attempt to win the bid by demonstrating how their design will best satisfy the JCHC’s statement of requirements. “They’re going to give us a detailed design that will be construction-ready and show how much it will cost,”

Fercho said.

In the meantime, the JCHC will test the acceptance of the strategy with Jasper employers. The intent of the project is for units to be owned by local businesses, for whom staff housing is a perennial problem. “That’s the conversation that needs to happen next,” Fercho said. If the business THE JASPER COMMUNITY HOUSING CORPORATION SUGGESTS 89 PARKING STALLS community can agree in ARE UNNECESSARY FOR THE CAR-FREE LIFESTYLE ITS TENANTS WILL LEAD. principle to the proposed governance model; if council agrees to access a $100,000 interest free loan from the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation for seed funding; and if the pre-construction work such as soils-testing, site surveys and parking snafus can be ironed out, the JCHC should be able to have the project ready to build, with the hope that upstream funding from higher levels of government will become available. Fercho says in times of crisis, it’s not unusual for highvisibility projects to get support. “We want to be positioned to take advantage of it so we don’t miss the bus,” he said. BOB COVEY // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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NEW BEGINNINGS // Ecole Desrochers graduates Ty Dallaire-Bradley, Kiana Lausen and Mary-Lyn Sturch celebrated the end of their high school careers June 24. “Although the current events did not allow all the people who we wanted to be here, we are extremely grateful for those who came,” said Sturch. “My parents have been my rocks, holding me by my feet, allowing me to climb as high as I wish to go.” // ASHLEY KENNEDY

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020 // ISSUE 168 // The Jasper Local // PAGE B2

LOCAL BUSINESS

COVID Check In: Colleen Chalifoux, Elysion Florals Nice as it was, however, she knew the surge of support couldn’t last. And rent, meanwhile, would still have to be paid. Thankfully, her landlords understood and allowed her to break her lease.

On the surface, you’d think the coronavirus pandemic has been pretty rough on florist Colleen Chalifoux. With each COVID-cancelled wedding, the owner of Elysion Florals has seen her summer revenue forecast wither like so many gardenias left in the hot sun. But Chalifoux isn’t letting the drop in business get her down. On the contrary, thanks to a surge of local support, an opportunity to collaborate with a fellow entrepreneur and the fresh air she’s been breathing at the Jasper Farmers’ Market, Chalifoux has fallen in love with flowers all over again.

“I wanted to be honest, not pretend everything was fine and carry on.” Now, to buy her some more time, and to help a fellow business owner pay her rent, Chalifoux has temporarily

FLOWER POWER // Colleen Chalifoux is excited for her business to pivot, even if COVID made her do it. // JAMIE ROBSON PHOTO

“I truly see this as a positive for my business and my family,” she said in between packing up boxes on June 28. Elysion Florals has been a mainstay of Jasper’s retail scene since 1993. When Chalifoux bought the business in 2014, she had to adapt the business to a different clientele. Out went the antiques and souvenirs. In came workshops and event consultation. “Young people would rather spend their money on

experiences,” she said. Now, with COVID forcing her hand, she’s pivoting again. When the pandemic was first declared, like most Jasper retailers, revenues went off a cliff. But then the locals came to the rescue.

“I could have gone out of business that week, it goes to show if you really want shops in your town, you have to buy locally instead of going online.”

“I could have gone out of business that week,” she recalled. “It goes to show if you really want shops in your town, you have to buy locally instead of going online.”

SILENT GNOME MORE // Porch Concerts have helped Jasper music lovers cope in times of COVID. Ian Vaydik and his band The Garden Gnomes are part of a July 1 Porch Concert series. Check Jasper Habitat for the Arts’ Facebook page for details. // BOB COVEY

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relocated to the space at Jasper Wellness. She’ll field online orders from there, opening up the shop four days a week for delivery or pickup, and bringing her bouquets down to the Jasper Farmers’ Market every Wednesday. “I’m in my happy place there,” she says. Even if that means not knowing exactly what’s next.

“I honestly don’t know,” she admits. “But I’m excited to figure it out.” BOB COVEY // bob@thejasperlocal.com

PAGE B3 + B4 //

The Jasper Local // ISSUE 168 // WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

FEATURE // COVID CHECK-IN // PHOTOS BY: NICOLE COVEY

As one of the original Rockies occupations, alpine guiding has always occupied a small but sturdy foothold in the tourism sector.

when he finally does open shop.

Part of that resiliency, surely, has to do with the jobsite; for men and women wanting to test themselves against the elements—with the counsel of a qualified professional, in this case— the draw of the mountains remains eternal.

Those mitigation strategies start where most guided trips begin: with the client booking. Besides employing a full refund policy and asking guests to sign a declaration of health, one of Reynolds’ main approaches for lowering the risk of exposure will be simply limiting his availability. By waiting five days (the average incubation period of COVID-19) between guests, he’ll be minimizing the chance of spreading the virus.

And while the COVID-19 pandemic has not left the guiding business unscathed, the foundational tenets of the trade—hazard assessment, risk mitigation and the adapting of techniques to the circumstances presented—will ensure its longevity, say its members. When coronavirus first crested in western Canada, Matt Reynolds, a local guide, was familiarizing Canadian Search and Rescue Technicians with mountain skills in the Lake Louise area. That was on March 14. Since then, Reynolds hasn’t taken a client out and it wasn’t until recently that “We sent out an he finally got out official notice saying, in the mountains essentially, it’s not just recreationally. “I took to heart the message that as professionals we should be setting an example,” Reynolds said. That dispatch came down loud and clear from the Association of Canadian Mountain Guides shortly after the pandemic was declared.

guiding but any outdoor recreation at all was not a good idea in light of the idea you could get hurt and tax our healthcare workers.”

“I think the other hazards on the mountain are still far more worthy of attention, but we definitely need to manage the COVID-19 risk,” Reynolds said.

“It gives me a little bit of peace of mind,” Reynolds said. His trips will simplify. To avoid confined spaces, he’s

Matt Reyn

“We sent out an official notice saying, essentially, it’s not just guiding but Max Darrah guiding clients on the Athabasca Glacier. // Supplied any outdoor recreation not planning on carpooling or commissioning at all was not a good idea in light of the idea you a helicopter to access a route. Overnight trips could get hurt and tax our healthcare workers,” said will be possible, he predicts, but he won’t be ACMG president Sylvia Forest. sharing a tent or a cabin with anybody for a Sylv Even though Forest and her board recognized that long time. He’ll have less bookings, overall, their members had lost a lot of business, the ACMG but each one will require more communication. held fast. “There’s so much more to talk about now,” Reynolds “We reminded members that mountain guiding is said, “in making sure they’re included in the an inappropriate activity until the government can decision making for how we’re going to deal with agree how and when the country could get back to COVID-19 in the field.” somewhat normal operations,” Forest said. Whether on a multi-pitch route or a mountaineering Now that things are moving in that direction, not ascent, Reynolds anticipates packing along soap and only has Reynolds been able to get on some rock sanitizer, making efforts to avoid tight quarters and climbs himself, but he is preparing, along with other giving overcrowded locations a pass. When he can’t local mountain guides, to operate a little differently maintain a safe distance from his client, such as in

AN INVISIBLE HAZARD: Alpine guiding in times of COVID a tight belay stance or on a teeny ledge, he’ll likely don a mask. Beyond the PPE, Reynolds is considering choosing his climbing venues based on COVID risk factors. Since some studies have shown less porous materials allow viruses to remain active longer, and other studies suggest UV rays can help disinfect surfaces, Reynolds may choose sun exposed limestone over shady quartzite, for example. “The perfect Jasper venue is going to be a secret,” he laughed. Over at Rockaboo Mountain Adventures, owner and lead guide, Max Darrah, says that although COVID is a novel danger, working with the threat of an invisible, looming hazard, is certainly not out of the scope of a mountain guide’s experience. ACMG members are trained to mitigate exposure to avalanches and rockfall, and while a virus poses a different safety risk, the trade of a mountain guide is built around providing the right techniques at the right time, Darrah says. Because of that, “it’s not too overwhelming to modify our processes to address this potential risk,” he said.

nolds on the summit of Mt. Colin.

Whether it’s reducing group sizes, transporting clients in

GMC CANCELLED FOR FIRST TIME IN MORE THAN A CENTURY For the first time in its storied history, the the Alpine Club of Canada has cancelled its annual General Mountaineering Camps. The camps, a tradition since 1906 and which took place even during wartime, won’t go until the ACC, working with the ACMG, has a better idea of how the provincial and federal governments’ relaunch strategies are rolling out. “Cancelling this ACC historic camp left quite a void for all the dedicated chefs, guides, camp managers and volunteers who support and work at the camp,” the ACC wrote in a memo to its members. “For 2021 we are excited to welcome everyone back so we can explore the mountains together.”

instructors, hiking guides and via ferrata guides. As such, the ways in which COVID affects ACMG members’ work environments depends on the particular discipline of the guide. Corona-related health risks for alpine guiding, for example, are not the same as those for guided hiking, which is why ACMG training courses and examinations for hiking guides have resumed, while alpine exams have not. Overlaying all of this is the fact that, no matter how the ACMG mitigates their operational risks, a significant percentage of the clients that mountain guides host come from the U.S. and abroad. Those markets will be decimated for the foreseeable future. “A great deal of our clientele overall is American,” Forest acknowledged. “With the borders closed, that certainly has an impact, particularly in the winter with mechanized skiing.” But in every challenge there is opportunity. “Some guides are saying this is an opportunity to foster Canadian participation in mountaineering. It could be an opportunity to market locally.”

via Forest leading an ACC camp at Lake O’hara.

larger vehicles or quarantining gear, operating in a pandemic-affected environment will certainly take more preparation, but planning and preparation are ACMG members’ stock-in-trade. Moreover, Darrah said the best practices coming down from the association have been extremely helpful. “The leadership within the ACMG is sound,” Darrah said. “I’m proud to be a part of the team.” That team includes not just mountain guides, but alpine guides, ski guides, rock guides, climbing

Reynolds, whose operation is unique among Canadian mountain guides in that he serves a mostly-regional clientele, agrees. “I think general word of mouth will keep me as busy as I want to be,” he said. As for Rockaboo Mountain Adventures, whose bread and butter are daily Athabasca glacier walks and rock climbing trips, Darrah knows better than to worry about the unknowns. “We’ll be ready to operate on our end,” he said. “We’re going to control what we can control and we’re going to focus on that.” BOB COVEY // bob@thejasperlocal.com

PAGE B5 //

The Jasper Local // ISSUE 168 // WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020

LOCAL COMMUNITY

Bike Rescue business taking next revolution forward

Those skills were on hand recently when McLachlan handed over a $2,000 cheque to the Jasper Lions Club. There’s another $1,000 slated for the Jasper Skatepark Committee, too. A portion of their profits will always go to charitable organizations.

Back when he was a teenager in Saskatoon, Chris Isbister was turning wrenches at his local bike shop so he could afford the essential things in life. Things like brake pads.

“We want to be involved with the community as much as possible,” McLachlan said.

A passionate BMXer who later got into freestyle riding before switching to mountain bikes in the 1990s and eventually racing for Rocky Mountain Bicycles on the west coast, it’s safe to say Isbister’s gone through a lot of brake pads in his cycling career. “The bike industry is a part of me,” he said. CHRIS ISBISTER AND BETH MCLACHLAN ARE THE FACES OF JASPER BIKE RESCUE. THEY’VE BEEN PUTTING

Nearly four decades later, Isbister SMILES ON THOSE OF THEIR CUSTOMERS WITH EVERY BIKE THEY SALVAGE AND RECYCLE. // B COVEY still loves turning wrenches, but “It became overwhelming,” the bikes he works on these days “We want to make sure we’re Isbister said. aren’t for his riding pleasure, they’re for the people doing this sustainably, that who—like him, all those years ago—just want to get As such, the partners we’re not taking away out on two wheels. called it a day and into So far, he’s helped get about 200 new riders get on the road—or the trails, as it were. Isbister founded Jasper Bike and Rescue with fellow bike recycler Roy Nickel, but since starting the organization, it’s grown from a fun hobby to a full-time commitment. Their original mission of saving bikes from the bulldozer at the Jasper Transfer Station remains, but the time and energy to field requests for bikes and donations took them by surprise.

business from local shops and

So far, they appear to be making good on that commitment. But even though there is a seemingly endless number of bikes to give a new lease on life to, there are only so many hours in the day and so much space in the garage. They’re asking the long list of cyclistsin-waiting for patience as they fine tune their business plan, one wrench-turn at a time. “We want to make sure we’re doing this sustainably, that we’re not taking away business from local shops and that we’re giving people used bikes they can ride safely and dependably,” Isbister said.

the fray has jumped that we’re giving people used Beth McLachlan to bikes they can ride safely and help Isbister with the administration, marketing and management of the Their ultimate payoff, however, is more simple blossoming bike rescue business. She’s also learning than that. about bikes. “We’re saving a bicycle and putting a smile on “She’s energetic, up-to-date and great with people,” people’s faces,” McLachlan said. “It’s rewarding.” Isbister said of his new partner. BOB COVEY // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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LOCAL WILDLIFE

WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020 // ISSUE 168 // The Jasper Local // PAGE B6

THIS JUST IN: BABY BLACK BEARS ARE STILL ADORABLE! Jasper wildlife photographer Simone Heinrich was at it again with her telephoto lens and endless reservoir of patience. Sidenote: by supporting The Jasper Local, you help keep freelancers like Simone on the payroll, so we can continue to bring you incredible moments like these. // SIMONE HEINRICH PHOTOGRAPHY

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