The Jasper Local April 1, 2021 by The Jasper Local

ALTERNATIVE +

LOCAL + INDEPENDENT

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 // ISSUE 185

OUTSIDE IN THE COLD DISTANCE // Edson’s Mitch Hamm self administers some alpine medicine All Along the Watchtower. Below, two riders were approaching and the wind began to howl. // BOB COVEY

thejasperlocal.com

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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 185 // THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

EDITORIAL //

Local Vocal You know that dream where you’re sitting in your old high school classroom and you’ve got a test in front of you but you haven’t studied and you don’t remember seeing any of the course material before and the test is actually in hieroglyphics and—oh no—you’re not wearing any pants? I hate that dream. But that bad dream is nothing compared to the living nightmare that educators woke up to on Monday morning when the provincial government rolled out its draft K-6 curriculum. Just when I thought the UCP couldn’t sink any lower after doing its best to sell off Alberta’s headwaters to Australian miners; after chasing our doctors away; after losing a billion bucks on a doomed pipeline gamble; after cancelling an affordable child care pilot program; after prolonging the pandemic with half-measures; after introducing oppressive legislation; after making electricity and insurance more expensive for struggling Albertans; after vacationing abroad while telling constituents to stay home; and after undermining public sector workers…they introduce this proposal for Alberta education. I wish this were an April Fool’s joke, but the reality is Albertans have been made fools of ever since this government took power. There’s something to be said about the hutzpah it takes to suggest that the premier’s grandfather, Mart Kenney, should be taught to Grade 6 music students as an important jazz influencer with no mention of, oh, I don’t know…Louis Armstrong?…but this government has shown time and time again they are unable to read the room. If they could, they would see that it’s not just “liberals” or “socialists” upset about the disastrous proposed Alberta curriculum. It’s parents and teachers and people of all political stripes. A cynic might suggest the draft curriculum is one way to distract our attention away from Alberta’s other dumpster fires including, but not limited to, the failed carbon tax challenge, the ongoing open pit coal mining issue and the recent refusal by doctors to ratify their tentative agreement with the province. But engaged politicos know that this government isn’t that strategic. It’s just another example of Kenney trying to ram policies steeped in ideology down the throats of constituents while banking on a base whose misogyny and fear-of-the-other couldn’t stand having a female as leader of the province. But it’s becoming clear that even those who typically respond to Premier Kenney’s chest-thumping and divisive politics are getting tired of Alberta being the laughing stock of the country. This education plan won’t help. It’s time for all of us to wake up from this bad dream. Let our government know they’re sleeping on Albertans. BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com

Replacement surgeons needed Dear Minister Shandro and Honorable Martin Long, Recently at my doctors appointment I was informed that Hinton no longer has the husband and wife team of surgeons at our hospital/health centre. They are leaving the province for Ontario because of the political environment against doctors here in Alberta. Hinton has been a hub for the greater district due to our surgical expertise and capacity. The hospital in Hinton serves the communities of Grand Cache, Jasper, Hinton, Edson and Whitecourt. We rely on these services they provide for our area.

Without having a surgeon for our area, the next professionals to leave with be the anaesthetists, of which we have two. If we have no anaesthetists, we cannot have obstetrics, colonoscopies, and other services requiring their expertise, including visiting surgeons that perform yet another host of specialty surgery. Everything that we have built over the past several decades to have a model healthcare centre will eventually be eroded away and we will have to send patients either by ambulance in the case of emergencies and birthing issues, or alone to the next centre that would have these LETTER CONTINUED ON A3

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// LOCAL TOURISM

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 // ISSUE 185 // The Jasper Local // PAGE A3

TOO CLOSE FOR COMFORT // Parks Canada closed Maligne Canyon to public access after a guided ice climbing group had a near miss on March 19. The rockfall event was a sobering reminder of the reality of the trade, said Rockaboo Mountain Adventures’ Max Darrah. Parks Canada will continue to lock the access gates at Maligne Canyon next winter. Guided access will be permitted.

Pursuit preparing Ice Explorers for first tours since summer accident Pursuit is in preparation mode for another summer season, gearing up to offer its Columbia Icefields Experience, including its signature Ice Explorer tours of the Athabasca Glacier.

The Ice Explorers have not been in operation since a July 18 accident, when one of the machines skidded out of control down the steep glacier moraine. Twenty seven people were onboard when the Ice Explorer rolled. The accident killed three people and seriously injured 14 others. The RCMP has not made its investigation into the cause of the accident public yet, and a class action lawsuit has been filed against the company. Pursuit’s senior communications manager,

Tanya Otis, said Alberta Occupational Health and Safety approved the company to reopen the Columbia Icefield Adventure in August of last year. However, the company elected to keep the Ice Explorers sidelined, Otis said.

for the summer.

“At that time, we made the decision to delay reopening until 2021 out of respect for those affected and to ensure our investigators were able to execute a thorough examination and review.”

Not long after the Ice Explorers begin crawling on the Athabasca glacier, Pursuit’s tour boats will begin making waves on Maligne Lake. Otis said the Maligne Lake Boat Cruise will open for the 2021 season near the end of May, weather permitting.

The anticipated opening of the Columbia Icefields Experience for the season is mid-May. Heavy equipment, including dozers, graders and loaders, have been constructing the glacier access road in preparation

“We continue to review all safety protocols across all of Pursuit’s experiences and activities and are confident the highest safety standards have been applied to all the activities offered by Pursuit,” Otis said.

“We do anticipate seeing predominately regional visitation to Jasper this summer,” Otis said. BOB COVEY//bob@thejasperlocal.com

LETTER CONT. //

services, which would be Edmonton. This would not only tax the healthcare system in the city, but also put patients at risk traversing a three hour, oneway trip into the city (especially in winter), also incurring the costs of overnight stays in some cases. Senior and residents in our district deserve better. I am asking that you take

a personal interest in this dilemma and see to it that we get a replacement surgeon for our healthcare centre to avoid the eroding away of our local healthcare model. Anything less would be political suicide for our MLA as the communities of Grand Cache, Jasper, Hinton, Edson and Whitecourt will quickly come

to realize what they have lost. Dominoes always fall in the same direction: Loss of surgeons, anaesthetists, services, and so on… Please make sure we get a replacement surgeon. Thank you. -Wayne Lemire, Hinton

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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 185 // THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

LOCAL COMMUNITY

Community engagement on new skatepark location to ramp up Jasper municipal councillors were grinding out the details on a potential new skatepark location and administration was trying to keep the conversation on the rails as comments bordered on the blunt side March 23.

At council’s most recent committee of the whole meeting the town’s director of operations, John Greathead, presented his findings after investigating the potential relocation of Jasper’s future skatepark. Greathead suggested that Centennial Park’s Diamond A, the location council directed administration consider in a previous meeting, fit the needs of the local skatepark committee as well as the park’s design/ construction consultants, New Line Skateparks. “This is the preferred site,” Greathead said. “We will work toward this location if council wishes.” Councillor Bert Journault was initially perplexed with the drawings presented at the meeting. Administration’s concept included room for elements not included in the original design, such as spectator seating, and didn’t include assets Journault had expressed interest in seeing incorporated, such as surfaces for ball hockey. “I don’t see this as maximizing use,” Journault said. But Greathead assured council the renderings were only a “test fit” and that “everything is on the table.” Councillor Scott Wilson suggested that if project leaders were going to meet their goal of having shovels in the ground by 2022, council ought to be allocating space for the skatepark in its 2021 budget. Council recently agreed to support the Skatepark Committee’s project with up to $300,000, subject to matching funds. “If we’re sitting waiting for a successful grant [to allocate a budget], we’re most likely going to be waiting until next year,” Wilson said. “A 2022 build starts now with all of the stuff behind the scenes.” Mayor Richard Ireland stressed that the next step

should be community engagement. “This is a significant piece of land in a very public space,” Ireland said. “I would much rather have this project welcomed before it arrives rather than accepted afterward.” Council passed a motion to direct administration to return with a public engagement plan before June 1. Councillors Rico Damota (who suggested he wanted more clarity) and Paul Butler (who suggested administration already had sufficient direction to begin to engage the public) were opposed.

DAM, DUDE // Jasper’s Vit Sarse was solo sliding up at Cabin Lake and after 30 takes with his bungee/ speed system managed to snap this photo of himself doing a f/s booardslide. // @CLICHED_IMAGES

Jasper councillors also debated traffic safety at their March 23 Committee of the Whole meeting. The conversation centred on creating a threeway stop at the intersection of Turret and Elm streets, adjacent to École Desrochers and the Jasper Elementary School, as well as traffic calming measures on the west end of Bonhomme Street. Greathead proposed installing a crosswalk and (removable) flashing beacons on Bonhomme near Willow Ave. The intersection is unique for its morethan 90 degree angle where Willow meets Bonhomme.

“That’s a larger shoulder turn, it’s reduced awareness for drivers… cars naturally accelerate there and it’s got these sweeping sight-lines,” he said. Councillor Jenna McGrath suggested the $32,000 price tag for the cross walk beacons is well worth it. Councillor Wilson said the current 50 km/hr zones along Bonhomme St. are inappropriate. “We know this is a problem area, we’ve spoken about it all term,” he said. His motion to recommend to council to reduce the speed limit along Bonhomme Street from Geikie Street to junction of Cabin Creek Drive and Patricia Street was passed. BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com

April 18 - 24 is Volunteer Week Help us in thanking those who made a difference this past year.

Share a story of how volunteerism has made an impact in your life this past year on our new Facebook page, Jasper Volunteers. Together we can celebrate, virtually, just how much these acts of giving meant.

LOCAL WILDLIFE

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 // ISSUE 185 // The Jasper Local // PAGE B2

SILLY GEESE // Canadian geese have honked their way to the Athabasca River recently, some of them more ornery than others. // SIMONE HEINRICH PHOTOGRAPHY

EPIC COOL DOWN // Lorraine Wilkinson completed a “virtual” Antarctica half marathon on March 20, joining alumni across the globe who, like Wilkinson, have participated in long distance events on the world’s coldest continent. The 61-year-old was doing her best to recreate the frigid feeling of her 2014 full marathon in Antarctica by dunking in the Athabasca River upon completion. // RON STANKO

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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 185 // THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

STORY BY BOB COVEY WITH PHOTOS BY SIMONE HEINRICH //

“The most exciting, breathtaking thing I’ve ever experienced in science” When Chris Raztlaff took out his camera to photograph what he thought might be an airplane contrail streaking across the night sky, he couldn’t have imagined what the stars had in store.

they discovered, the Alberta Aurora Chasers were inspired by the 2006 animated movie Over The Hedge. As such, with playful nod to helping mysterious a little more knowable, they named the new atmospheric event “Steve.” Although amateur photographers had known about Steve for years, it was new to scientists.

It was summer, 2014. Raztlaff, a software developer by day and an avid aurora borealis chaser by night, had pretty much wrapped up his evening when he took a closer look at the images he shot on a backroad north of his home in Airdrie, Alberta.

“This is one of the most significant discoveries ever for non-scientists. I think it shows anyone can make contribution to science.” The photos he shot of the aurora weren’t anything remarkable—as a member of the Alberta Aurora Chasers he’d taken plenty of images that were more dramatic. But the ones of the supposed jet contrail made him look twice. “I saw a kind of illumination,” he said. “I started to reach out to find out if anybody else saw it.” What his display screen showed was a distinct curve of light; a purplish, green convexity, bending overhead from the eastern horizon to the west. His peers confirmed they too, had seen the phenomenon, but they chalked it up to a “proton arc.” Although that description was vague, Ratzlaff shrugged it off. It seemed no one was getting too excited about his findings.

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Fast forward a year later to when Raztlaff and some of his fellow aurora chasers attended a lecture by University of Calgary astronomy professor and space physicist Eric Donovan and Elizabeth MacDonald, a space physicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland. After the session, some of the group gathered at a local pub. That’s when they showed the scientists the photo of the strange purple streak. “I’ve looked at as much aurora data as anyone on the planet,” Donovan said. “But I’d never seen this before.” Suddenly, the group knew they had indeed found something special. “It was amazing,” Ratzlaff remembered. “To watch the whole thing happening, to be there for the beginning of a scientific discovery.” More research was needed, but they still didn’t have a name for what they were investigating. It wasn’t aurora and it wasn’t a proton arc. Tasked with naming the phenomenon that

To verify and document the finding, Donovan and his colleagues at NASA needed to cross reference photographic images from the aurora chasers with their own data. That opportunity came on July 26, 2016 when a celestial event showed up in Donovan’s satellite data. He suspected might be Steve. Donovan quickly reached out to the aurora chasers to see if anyone else had seen it. They certainly had. It represented a breakthrough the likes of which Donovan had never experienced in his career. “It was unbelievable,” Donovan said. “It was the most exciting, breathtaking thing I’ve ever experienced in science.” In 2016, it was suggested that Strong Thermal Emission Veolocity Enhancement, or STEVE, be adopted as a backronym for the

phenomenon. NASA agreed. Last month, local aurora chasers had their own encounter with STEVE. Jasper Local freelance photographer Simone Heinrich was set up with her camera gear, waiting for Northern Lights, when the anomaly began. Steve is caused by a 25 km-wide ribbon of hot plasma at an altitude

Astrophotography 101: How to get better pictures of the night sky Jasper photographer Simone Heinrich isn’t going to give away her best aurora locations any more than she’s going to spill the beans on the best spots to capture grizzly bears emerging from winter hibernation, but she is happy to share some tricks of the trade. For starters, pick a spot that faces north. It might seem obvious when shooting northern lights, but you don’t want to stake out a secret location only to find out when you get there that the northern sky is blocked by trees or a high ridge. As for your camera, first off, mount it to a tripod. Since you’ll be shooting a long exposure, eliminating any camera shake is crucial to making sharp images. You’ll also want a wideangled lens, preferably one which can let in lots of light (has a low maximum f-stop value). Set the camera to manual mode and crank your aperture to the lowest f-stop available. That might be f/4, f/3.5, f/2.8 or f/1.4. ISO refers to the sensitivity of the camera’s sensor. The higher the ISO, the greater the ability the sensor will have to capture images in low light. Be warned, however: pumping up your ISO increases the “noise” on your images. This graininess can be particularly distracting when trying to take pictures of stars. “I usually have mine set at ISO 1600,” Heinrich says. The last variable you’ll work with to properly expose your night sky images is shutter speed. Heinrich sets her shutter anywhere between 10 and 30 seconds. Considering that daytime exposures are often taken with a 1/250 of a second shutter speed, or faster, this is where you’ll want to experiment. The shutter speed you ultimately land on depends on how quickly the northern lights are moving, how dark the sky is and whether or not there are other elements of the night sky you intend to capture. Lastly, consider that your camera may have a harder time finding a focal point when it’s dark out. Heinrich’s practice is to auto-focus on a far away light, or anything else that the camera can lock onto; and then switch her camera to manual focus.

could certainly attest to the excitement Ratzlaff felt years earlier when he first documented it.

of 450 km, and it was immediately clear that this event was distinct from the other light show occurring in the sky. “Suddenly a light streak showed up above Mount Kerkeslin,” Heinrich said. “It was getting stronger and more colourful, covering the whole sky from east to west.” Heinrich had never seen the event before. She

“It was pretty cool to see a strong light streak showing up and basically covering the whole sky,” she said. Donovan takes the even-wider view. He said the Alberta Aurora Chasers have made history. “This is one of the most significant discoveries ever for non-scientists,” he said. “I think it shows anyone can make contribution to science.” ________________________________

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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 185 // THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021

LOCAL BUSINESS

P’tite business, grande ambition From a young age, Emilie Langley had a penchant for needlework. Sewing lessons as a teenager put her ahead of the curve; Langley would finish her home-economics assignments much faster than the rest of the students. “I think that upset the teacher,” Langley said with a laugh. In college, Langley remembers being shy and self-conscious—although her handmade wardrobe at the time suggested she was anything but. She rocked a rain jacket made from a shower curtain, for example, and (par for the course in the early 2000s, perhaps) f lared out, wide-legged pants. “I liked the process more than anything,” she said. “It’s the creating that’s fun for me.” Recently, Langley’s creative engine fired up again. She’d been sewing handy, everyday items for her family—snack bags, bowl covers and aprons, for example—when someone suggested there might just be a market for her creations. The idea appealed to her. As a stay-at-home mom and wife to a CNer, she said she was looking for an outlet. Something for herself.

JASPERITES DEVOURING OLIVE THE CULTURE The second edition of Newcomer Kitchens took place March 28 featuring chef Zouheir Achbah. Sandra Rojas from Jasper Settlement Services helped facilitate the Facebook Live event, and the team pushed through some technical challenges to help participants create Morrocan Roast Chicken with Chicken Liver Stew and Olives. Chef Zouheir is from Meknes, North Central Morocco, and has been working at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge since May of 2019. He lives with his wife and two boys. Join Jasper Settlement Services on Facebook Live for the next Cultural Kitchens event on April 25 and learn about the different cultures that call Jasper home while creating something delicious for your own household. // BC

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“I live for my kids, but it’s not easy to be with them all the time,” she said. “I know a lot of us struggle with that.” Sewing has helped Langley get back her agency. It satisfies a creative itch and since the launch of her home-based business, P’tite Grenouille (Little Frog), she’s been able to share her ecofriendly food bags with a growing clientele. She makes other projects, too: she up-cycles clothes she finds at the thrift store, and recently reupholstered a friend’s RV cushions. She made cloth masks for community members at the start of pandemic and she’s sewed doll carriers so her daughter could carry around a baby, just like mama. But food bags are her staple, and the cute, compact containers are starting to show up in more and more lunches in Jasper. By doing so, she’s eliminating more and more plastic from the waste stream. Find Langley’s products at Jade Refillery, the Friends of Jasper National Park store and other retailers, or find P’tite Grenouille on instagram or ptitegrenouillejasper.com to check out her latest creations. BOB COVEY

// thejasperlocal@gmail.com

THURSDAY, APRIL 1, 2021 // ISSUE 185 // The Jasper Local // PAGE B6

LOCAL MEMORIAL

HARRY HOME’S BOUNDLESS PASSION POWERED TRAINS, COMMUNITY GROUPS AND LOVE FOR HIS FAMILY

Harry R.J. Home, who passed away at age 86-years-old on March 30, 2020, knew what he wanted to do with his life from the time he was five years old.

Harry R.J. Home was honest and upfront and had a zest for life that others couldn’t help but find infectious. He was an eternal optimist—a quality perhaps encapsulated best by his restoration of the historic 6060 steam engine in the 1980s. Working around the clock to accomplish his goal, Harry rolled out of Jasper and into Vancouver station just in time for the 1986 Steam Exposition. Eventually, he saw both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans from the cab of his beloved engine.

Infatuated with steam engines since his father let him hop aboard one near his childhood home of Hanna, Alberta, Home was an icon of railroading in Jasper and beyond. But Harry Home was much more than a railroader. He was a husband, a father, a favourite uncle and a grandfather. He was kind, loving, mischievous and determined. He was well-read and wellliked, a man who remembered names, nicknames, dates, train numbers and mile markers. He was tall and strapping and as strong as an ox. He was also tender and caring. He always introduced his wife, Edna, as “his bride.” Harry Home went to Western University in London, Ontario, where he was head of the debating team, but his love affair with trains ran so deep and his passion shone so brightly that when he travelled through Hornpayne, Ontario at age 17 and struck up a conversation with the yardmaster, he was offered a job on the spot. But he was underage, and his father soon brought him back to western Canada. Home wouldn’t be deterred, however, and after spending his formative years in Kamloops, eventually signed on with the railroad in Boston Bar, B.C. His initial wage was 86 cents per hour. Harry came to Jasper 68 years ago today (April 1, 1953), met his bride-to-be 14 years later and married her that same year (November 4, 1967). He loved his

Harry begrudgingly retired from CN after 49 years, on May 14, 1998, but remained eternally enthusiastic about railroad heritage. His dedication to this field earned him a ticket into the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame in 2002. Harry served as a grandmaster of the Freemasons, the head of his local union, chairman of the board of local school trustees and sat on innumerable other community committees. He was a member of the Jasper Park Band and continued to play with the Kamloops-based Rube Band when they travelled in the area.

three children—Cameron, Tony and Lisa—equally, and until the end of his own life grieved for Tony and his grandson, Tyler, who left this earth too early. Harry inherited his generous concept of family from his parents, Win and Jack. His faith was very important to him.

One of Harry’s final gifts to the community was a ventilator for the Jasper Seton Healthcare Centre, donated through the Freemasons. It was ironic, then, that Harry’s death was recorded as the community’s first due to COVID-19. He contracted the virus when very little was known about the disease, shortly after giving an incredible eulogy in Kamloops for his good friend George Trojan. Harry’s grieving family agrees he deserves the same treatment and will do so when the time is right. His trademark engineer’s overalls and cap were well-known in the community, but to those who loved him, Harry wore many hats. He loved music, hockey, history and travel. Most of all, however, Harry R.J. Home loved his family.

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