The Jasper Local April 15 2016

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Friday, April 15, 2016 // ISSUE 71

LITTLEST LOCAL // WELCOME TO THE COMMUNITY, CORA WREN COVEY. YES, DEAR READERS, WE ACTUALLY PUT OUR NEWBORN DAUGHTER ON THE COVER OF THE PAPER. THAT’S HOW IN LOVE WE ARE. // BOB & NICOLE

Rescuers air-lift skiers from glacier Rescue technicians assisted two men in life-threatening situations in separate incidents on the Columbia Icefields.

On April 3, at approximately 12 p.m. Parks Canada dispatchers received a call that a skier had fallen into a crevasse on the Athabasca Glacier. Six days later, first responders learned that another man was suffering from severe chest pains and was in need of assistance.

Jasper National Park media relations said that on April 3 a 55-year-old man from Calgary fell into a glacier after getting off-route during a ski expedition on the Athabasca Glacier. His party had intended to ski onto the Columbia Icefields, according to Parks Canada officials. When the skiers attempted to avoid the large serac hazards, they veered directly into an area with a high propensity of crevasses.

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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 71 // Friday, april 15, 2016

editorial //

Local Vocal It was 9:51 p.m., Tuesday April 12.

I could hear the soft smacks of my two-day old daughter’s lips as she drifted into what I prayed would be a deep sleep. A tiny squeak, like a pinch of air leaking from a balloon, emitted from the hospital basinet in which she lay. My stomach tightened. I wanted so badly for her to lie peacefully so her mother could rest and recuperate.

Nicole, my beautiful, powerful partner, needed to heal. After four days of labour, her body was prepared to deliver the child that had been growing inside her for the previous 42 weeks. However, the baby had different ideas.

When our obstetrician, Dr. Erin Cote, informed us that for the safety of everyone involved it was necessary to move Nicole into the operating theatre where a team of surgeons would perform an emergency cesarian section, we were, to say the least, unprepared.

Two days before that, we were anything but unprepared. Or so I thought. Heading to the hospital April 8, I was a typical dad-to-be: a wet-eared, wideeyed, delivery room cliche. I looked liked a bellboy at a three-star resort, attempting to move a busload of tourists into their respective cabanas. I had at least four duffle bags looped around me, an armful of pillows and half of the energy bar aisle at Nutters stuffed into a fabric sack. Prayer flags twisted around a yoga mat and the cord to an essential oil diffuser dangled stupidly from somewhere in the middle of the pile, nearly snagging in the emergency room’s automatic doors. However, just as I started looking around for a place to change into my sweatpants and bust out the salt lamp, we were told it wasn’t yet time to settle in. Nicole’s labour had begun, but it was early stages; it was too soon for the hospital to admit us.

Most pregnant women who live in Jasper will find themselves in Hinton for D-Day. The Hinton Healthcare Centre’s catchment area for moms-tobe includes not only Jasper and Whitecourt, but Valemount and McBride, in B.C. Unlike the old days, when rural hospitals such as Jasper’s were set up with a maternity ward, today any hospital that delivers babies has to have the capability to perform an emergency c-section. People might complain that their little angel can no longer have Jasper on their birth certificate, but having a high density of babies born in one hospital means that the doctors, nurses and other staff stay at the top of their game.

And when it comes down to it, that’s what you want. Never have I put so much faith in a team of professionals than when Nicole was on a stretcher being wheeled into the operating room. Similarly, never have I been so grateful for a group’s expert and compassionate care as when our newborn daughter was in my arms and Nicole was hurting, but healthy, beside me. If there’s one thing that has stuck with me throughout this whole process, besides the indescribable gift of parenthood and witnessing a strength in Nicole I never could have imagined, it’s having seen firsthand what an incredible resource we have at the Hinton Healthcare Centre. From the doctors to the kitchen staff, the nurses to the administrators, they were courteous, empathetic and talented.

All of this was going through our minds when finally, after six nights in Hinton, on April 13, we drove into Jasper, baby on board. When we pulled into our driveway and saw the pink balloons and welcome home banner strung up on our door, it was too much for Nicole keep in.

“We have a baby,” she blurted through tears. “And look where we get to raise her.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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 Gaboury.................................................................. nicole@thejasperlocal.com Advertising + sales

Rachel Bailey........................................................................rachel@thejasperlocal.com cartoonist

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

facebook.com/thejasperlocal

@thejasperlocal

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Local rescue //

friday, april 15, 2016 // issue 71 // the jasper local// page A3

Skier with altitude sickness evacuated Continued from page a1

The group leader, who was carrying, but not attached to, a rope, took an eight metre plunge into a crack in the glacier.

“His friend lowered [a rope] and secured him to the wall with an ice screw,” media relations’ Steve Young reported.

Rescue officials attended the scene and extracted the man, bringing him to the surface of the glacier. Responders attended to his broken leg before they packaged him in a Bauman Bag (single point suspension stretcher) and air-lifted him via heli-sling. He was sent to hospital via EMS. On April 9, dispatch received a call that a man had become severely ill while descending from the Columbia Icefields.

The ski tourer, who belonged to a party of four, was unable to self-evacuate and was reporting bad chest pains, Young said.

“He was suffering from effects of altitude,” he said.

Pulmonary edema is a condition caused by excess fluid in the lungs. The fluid collects in the numerous air sacs in the lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

JASPER NATIONAL PARK RESCUE TECHNICIANS EVACUATE A SKIER FROM THE ATHABASCA GLACIER AFTER THE 55-YEAR-OLD FELL 8 METRES INTO A CREVASSE. // VALERIE DOMAINE

The victim was a 29-year-old male. A helicopter was dispatched from Golden at 5:30 p.m. The operation was wrapped up approximately an hour and a half later. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

BROTHERS IN ARMS//AVERY AND BRAYDEN RUDELICH WERE AN UNUSUAL SITE ON THE SHORES OF THE ATHABASCA WHEN THEY ZIPPED BY FISHERMAN JAKE DALY ON THEIR TRAIL UNICYCLES.// BOB COVEY

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page B1 // the jasper local // issue 71 // friday, april 15, 2016

Local Journalism//

240 Fitzhughs later, Veerman is signing off Nicole Veerman has always been a newspaperwoman.

When she was just seven years old, she helped her older sister deliver the paper in her home town on western Vancouver Island. At 15, she graduated from delivery girl of the Gold River Record to student reporter. After taking her undergrad in Kamloops, Veerman moved to London, Ontario for her Masters in Journalism and after reporter stints in New Brunswick, N.W.T. and Nunavut she convinced her partner, Yellowknife-based Ian Vaydik, to give Jasper a go. When she was hired by the Fitzhugh, she figured she’d give it a year and move on.

“I was on a mission. I wanted to report from every province in Canada,” she said.

Unfortunately for her mission, she got attached.

Despite finding it hard to build relationships at first, all of a sudden, Jasper felt like home. Getting the editor’s chair at the Fitz helped, too.

“It was really liberating,” she said. “I could take control and do what I wanted to do with the paper.”

First off, that meant making the Fitzhugh a community paper again. New owners in 2012 were experimenting, combining Robson Valley content with Jasper stories. That experiment was failing.

Veerman said rather than look at her new job as being fraught with problems she didn’t create, she saw it as a prime opportunity to build something from the ground up.

“I knew that we had a community that, if we worked hard enough, would come back to us,” she said.

Growing up in a town of less than 2,000 residents, Veerman understood intuitively the level of respect a small town newspaper reporter needs to have for the people it serves. Never mind being approached by readers, in Jasper, a trip to the local coffee shop is almost guaranteed to involve runins with the very people you’re writing about.

“You have to live up to what you’ve written that week and what’s sitting on the newsstand,” she said.

What was often on the newsstand—with Veerman’s byline above it—was a story about the ongoing Jasper library and cultural centre saga. By her count Veerman’s done more than 30 pieces on the interminable construction project; since she came to Jasper, she’s had the library’s imminent opening on her story list every week. That was 240 Fitzhughs ago!

“It’s mind boggling, and I know that council feels the same way, and I actually feel really badly for them,” she said. “I have such mixed feelings about that building. I think it’s going to be so great for this community but it’s also going to be a joke for years to come, whether it’s fabulous or not.”

She’s poked a bit of fun at the project in her editorials, to be sure. She’s also been sharply critical of it. Heading back into council chambers after penning such a take isn’t something she loves to do, but telling people what they need to know, even if they don’t always want to hear it, is part of the job description. Veerman’s commitment to journalism has been tested more than once

IT’S IN HER BLOOD: JOURNALIST NICOLE VEERMAN HAS SPENT HER WORKING LIFE AT NEWSPAPERS. AT THE END OF THE MONTH, SHE’S MOVING ON FROM THE FITZHUGH, WHERE’S SHE’S BEEN CAPTAIN OF THE SHIP FOR THE PAST THREE YEARS. // BOB COVEY

during her tenure at the Fitzhugh, perhaps never more so than when she green-lighted a story about a Jasper hotel’s battle with the local health authority. She’s shown that even when the heat is on, she’s willing to put the public’s interest first.

Not that making those tough decisions doesn’t eat her up inside. She’s the first to admit her teeth grind the night before a sensitive story hits the streets. Getting the words and the tone right is terribly important to her.

“I’m so in tune with how people are going to feel,” she said. “When you’re writing about them you’re writing for them.”

Community journalists are also writing for their subjects’ families and friends, and never more so than when the article is an obituary. Obits are in fact one of Veerman’s favourite newspaper disciplines, for the simple fact that writing them is a wonderful way to get to know someone.

“When somebody important to this community passes away there are so many tales to tell and people are so eager to share them. There’s a lot of love in this community so you really get to feel that.”

The love will be on display April 23 at the Jasper Legion when Veerman and Vaydik host a party there. The couple has adopted the social club as their second home. They’ve played many a game of shuffleboard, Veerman recently organized a “Shop My Closet” event at the Legion and now the couple is planning a farewell party there.

Yes, it’s true, after four and a half years since she was assigned the Jasper beat, and 22 years since she was ringing subscribers’ doorbells in Gold River, Veerman is wondering what life might be like without deadlines. The 29-year-old has given her notice at the Fitzhugh and she and Vaydik are taking three months off to hit the road: they’re anticipating California beaches,

Oregon hikes and Texas barbecues.

It’s going to be hard to leave, Veerman admits.

She’s going to miss riding her bike to work, the view from her office and being stopped in the middle of the street to talk. She’s going to miss the collaboration with her co-workers, having coffee at Snowdome and celebrating Wine Wednesdays with girlfriends.

Luckily for Jasper, her standards have been set pretty high. She isn’t totally convinced they’ll find someplace else with all this community has to offer.

“We haven’t totally written Jasper off,” she said.

“This is home.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

DEADLINES, Deadlines...

Nicole Veerman has Worked for the Jasper Fitzhugh since October, 2011. That’s about 240 weekly papers she’s had a hand in. At an average of five stories per paper, that works out to 1,200 stories. If each story is 500 words that makes 600,000 words. The average novel is 60,000 words. That’s 10 novels in less than five years.

“I wish I made the same money as from 10 novels,” she laughed.

Check out theJasperlocal.com to listen to Nicole Veerman on the Jasper Local Podcast

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friday, april 15, 2016 // issue 71 // the jasper local// page B2

// Local fundraising

Jasperites marking anniversary of earthquake in Nepal with redoubled fundraising efforts One year after a magnitude-7.8 earthquake devastated Nepal, a small group in Jasper is making sure some of the country’s most vulnerable residents aren’t forgotten.

Raj Ghimire, a Nepali ex-pat, together with Sherrill Meropoulis, Sean Heakes and Jake Daly, have come together to form Mountains Of Relief, a Jasper-based fundraising organization dedicated to helping school children in Nepal find their way out of poverty.

“This is a dream come true,” Ghimire said. “When I was back home and I would see the condition of the poor people, my dream was to earn some money and come back to support them.”

For the last year, he’s been acting on that dream. Jolted into action after the April 25, 2015 earthquake, Ghimire managed to raise $5,000 on his own. Those efforts were noticed by Meropoulis, who soon joined his cause. Since then, Heakes and Daly have come on board. The team is focusing their efforts on school building in the Ramechhap district—an area close to Ghimire’s own home— where buildings have literally crumbled. After donating more than $15,000 to villagers in need, already Mountains of Relief has raised $4,000

towards a school in Lisakhani.

“This school will support the future of Nepal: education,” Ghimire said.

The Jasper group has been getting an education, too. Daly is building his web-master skills, having just launched www.mountainsofrelief.org; Meropoulis—whose organizational efforts Ghimire called “mindblowing”—has been quietly honing her ample fundraising skills, amassing thousands of dollars in the process; and Heakes is figuring out how to best make his own efforts count. Currently he’s planning a bike tour to attract pledges. As a team, they are working with a Nepal-based NGO to ensure the proper and transparent facilitation of donations.

NEPALI EX-PAT RAJ GHIMIRE, TOGETHER WITH SHERRILL MEROPOULIS, SEAN HEAKES AND JAKE DALY (NOT PICTURED) HAVE COME TOGETHER TO FORM MOUNTAINS OF RELIEF, A JASPER-BASED FUNDRAISING ORGANIZATION DEDICATED TO HELPING SCHOOL CHILDREN IN NEPAL FIND THEIR WAY OUT OF POVERTY. // SUBMITTED PHOTO

“It makes it more clear, not only here, but there as well,” Ghimire said.

Each of the three Canadians have spent time in Nepal.

“It seems everyone’s there for the right reasons,” Daly said. “Every time we meet it’s like ‘you know, this could turn into something

a lot bigger than we thought.’”

Ghimire is ever-grateful he has the opportunity to meet with the group at all. Last year at this time he was unsure if he’d be able to obtain another work visa. Now, he’s thrilled to report that issue is no longer a concern.

“I can focus on this dream,” he said.

The group’s fundraising goal is $35,000.

Ghimire has another goal too: obtain permanent residency in Canada. He hopes for a day when he can work a skilled job and earn more money to send back to his country.

“More than 10,000 people died and hundreds of thousands became homeless,” he said.

“People are still suffering.”

Visit www.mountainsofrelief.org to learn how to get involved.

KID COMPASSION //JASPER ELEMENTARY STUDENTS WILL ONCE AGAIN RAISE FUNDS FOR THEIR COUNTERPARTS IN NEPAL // SUBMITTED

MISTER...HOW OLD ARE YOU? // JASPER’S CHRIS PEEL SPINS A TIDY 360 IN FREESTYLE COMPETITION APRIL 2. MARMOT BASIN HOSTED THE ALBERTA FREESTYLE CHAMPIONSHIPS AND IN HONOUR OF THE JASPER FREERIDE SKI TEAM’S 20TH ANNIVERSARY, PEEL, THE CLUB’S FORMER COACH, DUSTED OFF THE MOGUL SKIS FOR A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE. WHILE THE TEAM ALBERTA ATHLETES WERE BUSTING HUGE AIRS AND NEW­SCHOOL SPINS, 40­-YEAR-­OLD PEEL WAS CLEARLY THE FAN FAVOURITE, AS HIS INFLUENCE ON JASPER FREESTYLE SKIERS HAS PERMEATED THROUGH TWO DECADES OF BUMPS AND JUMPS. THANKS TO TWO SOLID RUNS, PEEL PLACED EIGHTH, ALTHOUGH HE DIDN’T BEST FELLOW JASPER ATHLETES, 14­-YEAR-­OLDS EZRA JENKINS (FOURTH) AND THERON BOYER (SEVENTH). STILL, THE OLD GUY WAS FEELING PRETTY GOOD.“TAKE THAT 12­-YEAR­-OLDS!” HE LAUGHED.// BOB COVEY

bob covey// bob@thejasperlocal.com

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LOCAL FEATURE // STORY AND PHOTOS BY DANA RUDDY

THE JUNE BANDIT JUNE John Crowley, my eternally optimistic and motivated ski partner, is a refugee of sorts. Years ago He escaped Mountgomery, Alabama and moved to the relatively slower paced Valemount, BC. In March of last year, he and I went for a ski.

John had hit the road at 4 a.m. Pacific time to join me for a day of adventure along the Icefields Parkway. Our original plan was to climb and ski Mount Athabasca, but I found myself less excited about it than I had been the night before. My lack of enthusiasm was mainly due to the less-than-ideal ski conditions, but the idea to give Mount Athabasca a try was premised on the fact that John had yet to climb the iconic peak.

I knew John would take some convincing; especially considering the alternative I was going to propose was way more of a gamble. When he arrived in Jasper, around 6:30 Mountain time, I quickly fed him some coffee before attempting to spring a change of plans on him. My sales pitch mentioned a possible first descent of the north face of Manx peak, and after a few looks of uncertainty, John got excited and we loaded into the truck for quick trip up to the Portal Creek trail head.

Just after 7 a.m., John and I were ready to start skinning up Portal creek. The Marmot Basin trucks had already begun winding their way to work as we left the parking lot in the post-dawn light. We had made it a short distance before John realized he had forgotten his sunglasses. As he turned back to the truck to fetch them, I continued slowly up the creek, not wanting to get cold waiting for him. By the time I had reached the confluence of Circus and Portal creeks, John had caught up to me. I was happy to have avoided the normal early morning small talk, enjoying the casual pace and allowing my body to ease in to the efforts of the day.

Recent snowfall partially obscured the previous track leading into the Circus Valley, so we happily broke trail up the creek. By 9 a.m., we stood under the south face of Manx Peak eating dried fruit and sipping warm tea. We quickly chatted about how to gain the bench below the south ridge of Manx before settling on the awkward task of skinning up a melt/freeze-affected slope.

Not wasting any time, we immediately crossed the bench and found our way onto the wind-scoured ridge. After removing our skis and strapping them to our packs, we began the arduous task of working our way up the ridge over loose talus and faceted snow; it was a slow grind. Our only solace was the incredible views of Mount Edith Cavell and the Ramparts revealing themselves as we gained height. Despite continually searching the ridge for better travel, it just never seemed to improve and we were surprised by the amount of time it took us to climb Manx Peak. Just before noon, we found ourselves gaining the summit slopes, right on time for a well-earned break.

We pulled out the stove, making soup and refilling our water bottles.

Sitting motionless on the summit, we enjoyed a perfectly calm moment.

Warm sunshine let us dry our sweat-drenched clothing while the JetBoil hissed away. After a few minutes, we shared a bowl of rice noodle soup and refilled our water bottles with much needed electrolyte fluid. Looking down, we were filled with excitement. The north face revealed a perfect, untouched powder descent. Having only ever seen the feature on the map, I couldn’t have imagined it being a run as perfect as the one that sat below us. Protected from the wind on all sides, the vertical strip of untouched powder was just calling out to be skied.

We down-climbed a short distance from the summit and kicked a ledge in the snow in order to put our skis on. As John fiddled with his boots—he was having trouble getting them to engage ski mode—my excitement got the better of me and I made a large swooping turn across the top of the slope. There was only a small amount of slough bouncing lightly down the untouched face. It was now primed for its first set of tracks. John finally solved his boot issue, and with little more than a nod I dove in.

The steep slope consisted of perfect powder snow so light that it hung in the air between turns, slowly sprinkling back to the surface as though suspended in time. The turns were effortless. As I floated down, time slowed and I enjoyed a brief sensation of weightlessness with each turn.

When the pitch changed slightly, I duck in a protected spot to cheer for John. As written all over his face in the form of a short distance past me to a small bench few turns into the headwaters of Crescen at the perfection of our descent. We took seen views of Crescent Creek and the hi

With the day quickly warming, we bega Fortalice Mountain that we hoped would ended up sticking to a snow slope that to have liked in order to avoid excessive tim When we were nearly level with our inte back to the east and quickly gained it. W past Indian Ridge and Muhigan Mounta Pyramid Mountain to the north. The cou before dropping off quickly towards Wh now that if he wanted first tracks that he enjoying perfect turns for 350 vertical m

THE JUNE BANDIT TRAVER

1. Ski up portal Cr and ascend S 2. Manx N face 500 m vert run 3. Fortalice col 220m boot pack

4. Looking down to Whistler pa

5. Little over 100 vert m gains W

6. 3 km & 360 vert m of drop pu waters of Whistler Cr.

7. Options - ski up over Marmo

- Descend Whistler Cr. to the 4

- Ascend the back of Marmot to groomed 550 m vert climb

Total 23 km & 2300m vertica 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. = 10 hrs

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ked hard to the left and came to a stop s John approached, approval was shit-eating grin and he continued a h. I soon joined him and made the last nt Creek, where we stopped to marvel k a moment to gaze on the seldomidden glacier on Fortalice Mountain.

an the short ascent to a col east of d deliver us to Whistlers Pass. We ook us farther west than we would me spent climbing unstable scree. ended col, we began an abrupt traverse We were rewarded with beautiful views ain, both of which perfectly framed uloir started with a gradual descent histler Pass. John knew well enough by e better not ask and quickly shoved off, meters.

We had just cleared the second unknown pass of the day, so we pulled out the stove again and marveled at the two perfect runs we scored. We made water and relaxed, taking in the perfectly untouched scenery surrounding us in all directions. We laughed, discussing how lucky we were. The luxury of exploring such a perfect unknown circuit, just a stone’s throw from home, was immense.

After an extended break, and now in t-shirts, we began the short climb of about 100 vertical meters up to Whistlers Pass. Upon reaching the pass, we stripped off our skins and enjoyed the gradual decent in to Whistlers Creek. Three kilometers later, and with barely a push, we found ourselves at the headwaters of Whistlers Creek, looking up at the steep couloirs of the north side of Terminal Mountain. We were now faced with some choices. We could take the easy route home via a gradual descent out Whistler Creek to Marmot Basin’s fourth parking lot; we could climb over Marmot Pass and descend the final few kilometers of a sure-to-be sloppy, melting-out Portal Creek; or we could ascend the back side of Marmot Peak and bag one final summit. The final option would give us a perfect groomed descent to the lower chalet and a multitude of ride options back to the truck. Feeling inspired after a near-perfect day, we chose the latter and began the final 550m ascent of the day to the peak of Marmot.

We knew we had to make good time.

If we goofed around too much we’d miss our chance to catch a ride with the horde of spring skiers heading back to valley bottom. We dug in, put our game faces on, and charged for the summit. Battling the wet snow clinging to our skis and skins, we managed to make the summit at around 4:30 pm.

Completely parched and out of water by this point, we stripped our skins one final time and enjoyed perfect GS turns off the summit, down the lollypop trail past the upper chalet, and made a bee-line for the lower mountain. Pulling up to the lower chalet just before 5 p.m., we got more than a few strange looks.

ERSE

S face Manx pk 10.5 k, 1480m

Upon our arrival, John was approached by a ski patroller who asked, “Where the hell did you guys come from?”

ass 350m vert run

John responded, “from the top man!” with a wry smile.

Whistler pass

After loading on to the final bus of the day, John and I raised a few more eyebrows when we asked to get dropped off at the Portal Creek trailhead.

Unloading our skis, we were happy to return to the truck with so much daylight to spare.

uts you back at the head

We decided to call this traverse “June Bandit” in honour of our children, and the pet names we were using for them at the time. The moniker also seemed fitting due to the warm weather and the feeling we had somehow stolen this perfect day in paradise.

ot Pass to car at Portal Cr

4th parking lot Marmot 6km

o summit and rip a final

al

Dana Ruddy is a local adventurer, athlete and carpenter who’s using his down time to sharpen his writing skills

John was approached by a ski patroller who asked “Where the hell did you guys come from?”

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page B5 // the jasper local // issue 71 // friday, april 15, 2016

Local photography //

How was your winter?

Readers send their coolest photos

HEIDI HAYES SLIPS THROUGH THE PORTAL IN A NATURALLY-FORMING ICE CAVE NEAR THE ATHABASCA GLACIER. // DYLAN PAYANT

ETIENNE CARDINAL SNAKES HIS WAY UNDERNEATH THE IMPOSING WILSON MAJOR ICE WALL ON MT. WILSON. // JOCELYN NADEAU

OUTFITTER GILBERT WALL ON THE HOMESTRETCH BREAKING TRAIL INTO THE TONQUIN VALLEY. // TRISTAN NISSEN

EMILIE ST. PIERRE SPENT HER WINTER AT CARIBOO LODGE, NEAR VALEMOUNT, WHERE SHE GOT THE ODD HELI-DROP COURTESY OF HER EMPLOYER, CMH, // EMILIE ST. PIERRE

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friday, april 15, 2016 // issue 71 // the jasper local// page B6

Local motion //

Make it Sparkle...

...for mental health awareness

Feathers. They are a sight to see around Jasper. Beautiful colours and patterns of feathers left on our trails are like gifts from mother nature to remind us of the beauty of the birds that grace the skies of Jasper National Park.

But there is another type of feathered gift that will soon settle onto the trails surrounding our lovely town. These feathers are far less likely to camouflage into their surroundings with their bright blues, purples and pinks sparkling in the sun. These are the talisman of the feather boa wearing J9 Sparkle Run/Walk/Bike participants, as they bound through the streets of our town in an effort to once again raise funds for, and bring awareness to, mental health in our community.

On April 30 at 3 p.m. Jasper’s streets will spill over with participants dressed in the sparkliest and craziest outfits they can find, as they take part in the third annual J9 Sparkle Run. The 2016 event will mark the third year our community comes together to open up and talk about mental health illnesses and remember Jeanine D’Antonio, a friend and community member who loved feather boas and all that sparkled and who

became the namesake of this event after she lost her battle with depression in the spring of 2014.

This year’s run will also mark the midpoint of Mental Health Awareness Week in Jasper, an event that promises to raise the bar in helping Jasperites shed the stigma of mental health issues and realize the potential available resources in our community. As a close friend of Jeanine’s, an active member of our community and someone who has personally battled with the darkness of depression on a number of occasions, I have taken a keen interest in learning more about mental health. Over the last two years, what I’ve learned has made me think twice about the way I view mental health, helping me realize that in some way, shape or form, it affects us all. For example, did you know that: • Over half a million Canadians will miss work this week (and every week) due to mental health issues • Over 4,000 Canadians will die from a mental illness every year • 80 per cent of people with depression will respond positively to treatment, but 90 per cent of these people can’t access the treatment they so desperately need.

Career and Service Directory

Despite these stats, I’m working hard to focus on the pink and purple feathers that adorn the streets and trails around town long after participants’ sparkliest outfits have been tucked away for yet another year. These remaining feathers serve as a subtle reminder that even in tragedy, there is a gift if we choose to see it.

That gift includes the ability each of us has to talk and to open up to help break the stigma surrounding mental health. The ability each of us has to reach out to those experiencing mental health issues and show compassion and empathy instead of frustration and anger. The ability to be vulnerable and show your support for mental health by coming out and taking part in the J9 Sparkle Run/Walk/Bike and the events of Jasper’s first ever Mental Health Awareness Week.

So I invite you to get your sparkle on and help spread these little feather reminders of hope around Jasper at the third annual J9 Sparkle Run/Walk/Bike on Sat April 30 at 3pm. To add to the festivities, all participants and community members are invited to attend the awesome afterparty at the Legion, complete with food, local musicians and a silent auction, all to raise funds that will remain in Jasper to support local mental health initiatives, programs and education. For more info on the event, to register online or to sign up as a volunteer, please visit our website at j9sparkle.com.

Lourdes Nunes is the owner of Summit Massage Therapy and Co-owner of The Jasper Fitness Network. She is proud to help Jasperites keep active, agile and feeling alive in the great outdoors.