After 10 years, dozens of markets, thousands of pounds of vegetables and tractor-loads of hard work, the Jasper Local Food Society is enjoying the fruits of its labours. However, even the most productive soil needs to be regularly replenished. “We’re hoping we can recruit some new board members,” pr...

Who opposes the province’s decision to allow open-pit coal mining in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains? Basically everyone. So suggests Edmonton-based writer and political watcher, Dave Cournoyer ( daveberta.ca ). Cournoyer lists ranchers, farmers, environmental organizations and recreational groups among t...

The Jasper Arena is ready for ice, as soon as … you know Wayne Hansen of Prologic Construction was the senior supervisor of the recent arena and curling rink (shown here) upgrades. // BC COVID has brought team sports to a halt, but over at the Jasper Activity Centre, the break in action has given co...

If she wanted to, Karen Jacobs could make a laundry list of ways her retail business has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. But Jacobs, who’s owned Jasper’s premiere clothing boutique, Mountain Air, for the last 10 years, isn’t that kind of gal. “It’s not all doom and gloom,” Jaco...

Dwaine Gilzene dreams big. Always has. And whether it has been moving to Canada, becoming a permanent Canadian resident, meeting and marrying his dream partner, or opening up his own restaurant, the 35-year-old has been able to achieve those dreams. You can see the culmination of those realized ambi...

Transportation company changing lanes SILVER LININGS // Paul Hardy, whose transportation business was built to serve a diverse international market, is grateful that Albertans are rediscovering their backyard. // BOB COVEY In any other winter, if the Icefields Parkway closes for Parks Canada avalanc...

In March, with less opportunities for visitors to dine-in, pizza joints, which specialize in delivery, leaned into the coronavirus-affected market. Things changed again in December when full lockdown measures came into effect (no dine-in at all) and more restaurants got into the curbside pickup game...

Most local retailers are going online. Cannabis can’t. While other industries have been put through the coronavirus grinder, the worldwide pandemic has been good for cannabis sales. In the context of a pandemic, SpiritLeaf Jasper’s Dave Ireland says cannabis shops are a needed resource for a lot of ...

When the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Jasper in March, VideoStop owner Kevin Lazzari wasn’t taking any chances. As soon as he heard the news, Lazzari dead bolted the door to his Patricia Street business. “Those first few days and weeks were crazy,” he recalled. “No one knew how risky thin...

Three minutes. That’s how long it took Celina Frisson, otherwise known as @thecreativetraveller , to sell out her latest stock of hand-painted ceramic mugs. On December 5 at 3 p.m., Frisson opened her online shop. By 3:03 p.m., 50 or so pieces of pottery had been scooped up. Frisson, a painter and g...

When Gage LeBlanc tries something new, the 15-year-old goes big. BRING ON THE BUMPS // Gage LeBlanc stars in the upcoming All-Round Champion, a Reality TV series premiering on TVOntario. Catch the series starting on January 6. // BOB COVEY The first time LeBlanc tried freestyle skiing, for example, ...

Jasper’s Director of Protective Services, Greg Van Tighem, has notified the Municipality of Jasper of his impending retirement. The Jasper Local caught up with the Fire Chief to reflect on a career dedicated to serving others. By Bob Covey In 1979, when Greg Van Tighem showed up in Jasper for the fi...

The Jasper Volunteer Fire Brigade has seen the plans for the Jasper Skatepark project and now they want to Shove-it forward. At a recent meeting, the men and women of the JVFB decided they would match new community donations up to $50,000 “It seems like the project has been stalled,” JVFB member Sea...

Two more IRL (In Real Life) events in Jasper are going virtual. For 25 years, every December, the Chaba Theatre would be packed for a night of mountain movies when the world-famous Best of the Banff Mountain Film Festival would roll into town. On the night of the show, a rainbow of puffy jacket-wear...

If you search for Jasper in Google Maps’ Street View and zoom in on Patricia Circle you can still see the boards at Patricia Circle Rink, or Pat Circle, as it is known colloquially. Although it’s gone now, the tiny outdoor rink had been around for many decades. If they could talk, the disassembled b...

Jasper’s incoming Chief Administrative Officer doesn’t see local government as politics.  “Government is about public service,” Bill Given says. “Partisanship doesn’t benefit anybody.” He’s speaking from experience. Now 43-years-old, at 24, Given was the youngest person to ever be elected to public ...

Last issue The Jasper Local had a bit of a field day commenting on the look of Jasper’s new entrance signs. The comments and emojis poured in on social media; everyone had a good chuckle. But our editorial was missing some context. This edition, we report on how the signs came to be in the first pla...

Electric Vehicle drivers are banging the drum for more high speed charging stations in Jasper. Bert Hogendoorn, from Sechelt, B.C., says that the Yellowhead Highway in Alberta is not EV-friendly and that as a result, more and more EV drivers are choosing to avoid the corridor altogether. “Jasper rem...

Back in 2018, JFI Foods, Jasper’s family-run wholesale grocery suppliers, was rolling. Business was good. Their fiscal year was trending to be the company’s strongest ever and the owners and employees were enjoying the November downtime before the inevitable Christmas rush. Some of them even snuck i...

Signs, signs, everywhere a sign. Can we talk about the new signs that adorn the east and west entrances of our town? “Adorn” might not actually be the right word—that term usually applies to things which make something more attractive. Regretfully, Jasper’s new entrance signs do the opposite—like gi...