I thought I came up with a pretty good metaphor for 2020 in Alberta the other day when I accidentally pepper-sprayed myself. It was particularly apt, because not only did I mace myself, I got my neighbour, too. Luckily, the can was pointing at the ground when I unintentionally popped the safety and ...

COVID-19 is highlighting where Jasper’s economy is most vulnerable.  While Jasperites can thank their rubber tire visitors for propping up summer revenues, local tourism experts are warning that not only are we overly- dependent on international guests, but that most overseas visitors to Jasper get ...

Jasper’s Jimmy Gillese and his crew at Stellar Descents staked out a little whitewater history July 8 when they made the first ever commercial rafting trip on the Doré River near McBride, B.C.  While local rivers were at full volume last month, lower flows of visitors meant Gillese was able to get h...

While Jasper’s downtown receives piecemeal patio treatment as individual businesses owners attempt to revitalize their restaurants, the deputy mayor of Canmore says their new downtown pedestrian zone is proving popular.  Karen Marra is a first term councillor and former downtown business owner who s...

As one of the original Rockies occupations, alpine guiding has always occupied a small but sturdy foothold in the tourism sector. Part of that resiliency, surely, has to do with the job-site; for men and women wanting to test themselves against the elements—with the counsel of a qualified profession...

July 1, 2020 The Jasper Community Housing Corporation is forging ahead with plans to create affordable staff housing units on Connaught Drive. 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 h...

Car is still king when it comes to planning a development in Jasper. Despite a request to reduce Parks Canada’s requirement of 89 stalls for their affordable staff housing complex, Jasper’s planning and development advisory committee (PDAC) couldn’t see past potential parking problems on the Jasper ...

You many have noticed things are rather…strained…at Jasper Municipal Council meetings these days. While perhaps not immediately apparent, anyone who has been viewing the public meetings over Zoom the last couple of months will have noticed an uptick in tension amongst participants. Not being privy t...

2020 Budget Breakdown // June 15, 2020 Jasper Municipal Council voted against administration’s recommended zero per centbudget increase, instead adopting a more austere financial plan to reflect apandemic-affected economy. The Jasper Local explores some of the issues surrounding that process. By Bob...

A local restaurant known for giving its patrons a reliably excellent dining experience wants to make sure local seniors have a reliably excellent transportation service in Jasper. Ashley and Mike Kliewer, owners of The Raven Bistro, have teamed up with staff at the Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge for a ...

SkiMo athlete Peter Knight has rocketed up to number one on the SkiMo circuit in Canada, but although he’s a beast on the skin track, the 30-year-old Edmontonian is arguably even more savage on social media . Knight en route to victory at Marmot’s Revenge in 2018. // Bob Covey Knight has already cha...

When 25-year-old Vanessa McGibbon decided to relocate to Jasper for a career move, she was looking forward to embracing small town living. Little did she know how much the small town would embrace her. On February 5, barely a month after she started her new job as a physiotherapist in Jasper, McGibb...

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 t...

A bison bone found high in the alpine near Maligne Lake is opening doors of discovery for paleo-environmental researchers in Jasper National Park. In 2016, Parks Canada historians surveying an ice patch near the headwaters of Trapper Creek were surprised to find what looked to be a bison humerus mel...

Jasper-based education org celebrating 20 years of working in Africa As October snows threaten, some locals are packing their suitcases with visions of warmer climates dancing through their heads. A Hawaiian getaway perhaps? Sojourn to Mexico? Costa Rica vacay? Not for Jasperite Jill Fenton. Althoug...

A local business owner has taken a small but significant step in making Jasper more accessible. Ever since she opened the Bear’s Paw and Other Paw Bakeries, Kim Stark has always known the stores weren’t wheelchair friendly. “It always bothered me,” she said. “There’s that small step up that makes it...

Bob Covey // The Jasper Local Newspaper Fright night in Alberta came early this year. October 31 in Jasper had its fair share of ghosts and ghouls, but the real scares were being conjured up at the Alberta Legislature a week prior. Minister of Finance Travis Toews wasn’t donning a costume when he ro...

Guest columnist: Joe Urie Imagine being gifted the name Gloria. It’s such a beautiful name. A name derived from the Latin word which simply means “Glory.” Now, try to imagine living up to the hype of such a name. To many of us, if we were ever made to try, it might seem a daunting task. Or maybe it ...

When she was a kid, Dawn Glover had a t-shirt that said Run For Your Life. Today, the 46-year-old is personifying that mantra. Her life is her family, her faith and her community—all of which she was running for on July 7, helping her become the 2019 champion of the Sinister 7 ultra marathon in the ...

Update: Council has passed a motion reducing the town’s speed limit to 40 km/hr Whenever classic editorial fodder such as the changing of municipal speed zones are up for community debate, the old timey newspaperman in me can’t wait to wade in. Usually, after uncrossing my arms and loudly cracking m...