The Jasper Local August 1, 2017 by The Jasper Local

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LOCAL + independent

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tuesday, august 1, 2017 // ISSUE 102

RIDGE ROMP // TWO DIFFERENT PARTIES OF JASPER LOCALS CONVERGED ON INDIAN RIDGE JULY 24 AND WERE REWARDED WITH DRAMATIC VIEWS OF THE VICTORIA CROSS RANGE // NICOLE GABOURY

Public urged to get in on caribou action plan Residents and stakeholders are invited to take part in the public consultation process for an action plan on the protection of boreal caribou. Jim Eglinski, Member of Parliament for Yellowhead, announced a series of webinars on the proposed action plan. Indigenous peoples, stakeholders and other parties should submit written feedback by September 25, a release stated. “This is an important issue for our riding as the range of the caribou overlaps with local natural resource extraction and timber harvesting,” Eglinski said.

Effective recovery of the caribou will require innovation, cooperation and collaboration amongst the federal government, provinces, territories, Indigenous peoples, industry, environmental organization and local communities. Boreal caribou are an iconic but threatened species in Canada. The species is also considered to be an indicator of the overall state of Canada’s boreal forest ecosystem. To read the proposed plan and participate in the process, visit the Species at Risk Public Registry and look for the Action Plan for Woodland Caribou. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 102 // tuesday, august 1, 2017

editorial //

Local Vocal Just when I thought Jasper wasn’t some regressive backwater, living in isolation from the rest of the civilized world, the community shows its true colours.

Rainbow crosswalk debates. How is this a thing? Let’s review, shall we? First, a local community organization, inspired by other cities’ and towns’ initiatives to bring a bit of fun and positivity to an otherwise boring streetscape, has a cool idea to install a rainbow-coloured crosswalk in our downtown. Much of the momentum is gained at Jasper Pride—you know, that festival where hundreds of people with thousands of dollars descend on Jasper during the otherwise sluggish shoulder season to remark on how beautiful, accepting and inclusive our community is? Next, those same community leaders garner this goodwill to raise a bunch of money in a ridiculously short span of time so that the all-too-easy (and common) gripe of “not on my dime” is moot. That weak argument, after all, was a big reason why Valemount’s village council dumped all over a similar idea a year ago. OK, so the money’s there, how about logistics? Covered! Those same forward thinkers who envisioned a crosswalk that stood for life (red), feeling (orange), sunlight (yellow), nature (green), harmony (blue) and spirit (purple) had more than one powwow with municipal staff to make sure this thing could actually fly. Paint types, style, design, whereabouts…it was all taken care of! OK, now the tricky part: the politics. But look! We’ve flown the flag for the past five years! Councillors who raised the rainbow outside the firehall or posed for pics with the Minister of Suchand-Such are surely onboard with the message, right? OK maybe not Gib, but he’s kind of the John Wayne of Jasper council anyway; you know, looks good in a Stetson, tells a mean campfire story, can kick your ass in hockey and horseshoes but maybe don’t bring him to your cousin’s coming out party. Fine. At least he’s a straight shooter! Only in the weirdest of worlds should the July 18 vote on the crosswalk have been anything but a 4-1 decision in favour of the project. Municipal staff couldn’t have teed it up any higher for council to knock out of the park: “Here’s our recommendation for support, we’ll take care of the details.” You know, so if an “extremist group” approaches council with a request to install a crosswalk with “swastikas,” everyone will know what to do (hint: you say Get Lost!) What a sad, boring day for municipal politics. The timing couldn’t be crummier, either, being as it is only a few months before nomination ballots are due for the 2017 municipal election.

What does this exercise teach prospective nominees? That as soon as something half interesting comes up, you might get an email urging you to “back down, snowflake! Quit being such a SJW!” Apparently, the lesson for some councillors after four years is that we need a policy for everything. Is making policy really why people go into politics? I thought it was making a difference. How naive of me! I should be walking on, not writing about, this crosswalk by now. Ironically, all the time wasted sending administrators on a fishing expedition to figure out how the geniuses in every other municipality could have possibly installed a

colourful crosswalk without anyone dying could easily cost more than the cash OUTJasper raised. Heck, maybe they can raise another five grand again next Pride—that is, if the guests who normally visit aren’t too embarrassed and dismayed by Jasper’s lack of guts to come back. Councillors, you can’t have it both ways. You can’t say you’ve supported this initiative since day one then not support it when the rubber meets the road. There’s a time to recognize what’s at stake by playing it safe. And if you couldn’t see that on July 18, maybe it’ll become more clear on October 16. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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tuesday, august 1, 2017 // issue 102 // the jasper local// page A3

THIS MARMOT WAS CHECKING FOR PARKING PERMITS AT CAVELL MEADOWS. // BEN WAXER

Councillors on x-walk: yes but no Councillors support a rainbow policy in place before supporting a social crosswalk, just not right now statement through a crosswalk. “I’m all in favour of it as long as there’s a Two councillors who say they’re fully in support of the proposed rainbow crosswalk policy in place.” are defending their decision to vote the Rainbow crosswalks are cropping up recommendation down. in towns and cities across Canada as a declaration of an inclusive, progressive On July 18, councillors Rico Damota and Helen Kelleher-Empey opposed municipal community. Despite what their detractors say, they are not meant to be promoting a staff’s recommendation to support the installation of a rainbow-coloured sidewalk certain sexual preference or representing a particular lifestyle. in Jasper funded by OUTJasper, a local LGBTQ advocacy group. The difference OUTJasper first approached the between those councillors’ decisions and municipality’s operational department that of Councillor Gilbert Wall, who also about the logistics of installing a crosswalk opposed the motion, is that Damota and in the spring. Once staff researched costs, Kelleher-Empey say they are in favour of the potential sites, design, materials and concept in principle. Both, however, would maintenance, the issue came to council, prefer a municipal policy in place before where a recommendation to install it was they lend their support to the initiative. voted down, 3-2. Mayor Richard Ireland and Councillor Brian Nesbitt voted in favour. “I’ve been behind this from day one,” Damota said in an interview. “I just want Council did not direct staff to draft a policy a policy that’s going to reflect the pure for the crosswalk after the July 18 meeting; intentions of having this crosswalk.” however, at the July 25 Committee of the Whole meeting, council discussed how a Damota said he had concerns about policy on social initiatives could be guided. potential “extremist” groups wanting similar support from the town. He also says Council also considered correspondence the suggested location—at the intersection from the public for, and against, the installation of a rainbow crosswalk. of Connaught Drive and Miette Aventue— may not be safe. Finally, he said these Jasper’s Mike Day wrote in favour of the things take time. initiative: “Why would we take a stance “I think it’s positive but things don’t happen against a crosswalk that represents the values that our community embraces?” overnight,” he said. Kelleher-Empey, for her part, said she’d been away for the two meetings leading up to the July 18 council meeting, both of which addressed the rainbow crosswalk initiative. She also said she’d like to see a

Ginette Marcoux, on the other hand, suggested a rainbow crosswalk would “Disney-fy Jasper” and “show support for a group that represents less than three per cent of the population.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

page B1 // the jasper local // issue 102 // tuesday, august 1, 2017

FIRE IN THE SKY // SMOKE HAS ACCENTUATED LOCAL SUNSETS // BEN WAXER

Local park management //

ON EDGE // IA MEMBERS SNUFFED A FIRE ON THE BENCH JULY 19 // SUPPLIED

Fire for ceremony during ban was justified: supe “We spoke to the groups, we said Jasper’s National ‘here’s the [fire ban] situation, we Park’s Field Unit understand this is important to you Superintendent is in terms of your culture,’” Fehr said. defending Parks Fehr said Parks Canada’s number Canada’s decision to one priority is public safety. He issue a cultural use likened the issuance of a cultural permit for fire-tending use permit to other restricted use during a park wide fire permits, such as flying a drone ban. aircraft. Meanwhile, “We look at what Parks Canada the request is… “We spoke to the groups, we resource whether it’s going said ‘here’s the [fire ban] conservation to be safe, whether situation, we understand officers were it supports the this [ceremony] is called to park’s goals, is it important to you.” respond to a consistent with human-wildlife the management conflict issue plan?” he said. at the same “If we think the cultural site where traditional ends justifies the means we would ceremonies were being practiced. permit that through a restricted access permit.” On July 18, Parks Canada issued a fire ban due to elevated wildfire In this case, Fehr said the groups danger. The ban, which was still had fire protection equipment on active at press time, covers the hand. entire park including all front and backcountry campgrounds and day- “We said OK we’ll permit this, and if at any time, just like any use areas. other restricted use permit…we “Lighting or maintaining fires in this would rescind the permit if there area is strictly prohibited,” officials was a problem.” declared in an information bulletin. “The fire ban includes all open fires.” During that same week, there was a different type of problem at the At the same time, however, Parks Sixth Bridge cultural site. A grizzly Canada issued a cultural use permit bear had wandered into the area, for First Nations communities to apparently lured by an untidy practice ceremonial sweats. Sweatcampsite. Resource conservation lodge ceremonies are purification officials hazed the bear away, but rituals which are practiced by many the animal came back that night, First Nations across North America. knocking over a tent while a man The ceremony includes a fire pit to was sleeping in it. heat rocks, over which a dome of Fehr said he was present when saplings, blankets and sometimes the grizzly bear first approached canvas tarpaulins are placed. Sweat the site. Like all human-wildlife lodge fires are often kept for days conflict situations, he said this at a time. A fire-tender keeps watch matter was dealt with by educating over the pit and helps facilitate the the user groups about proper bear ceremony for participants. safe practices. In this case, Parks Some members of the public were officials convened a “tailgate frustrated by the apparent double meeting” to discuss the incident standard, but Alan Fehr, Park with the participating groups. Superintendent, defended the “We managed it like we do with decision to allow an open fire at the cultural site. Fehr said when officials all incidents,” he said. “We use education and awareness and so looked at the permit application on to try to prevent any kind of from Indigenous community issues from happening.” representatives it was determined Jasper National Park’s Sixth that the request was justifiable. Bridge site was designated as

a cultural and spiritual site for Indigenous groups with historic ties tot he Jasper area in 2012. Many First Nations and Metis used the Athabasca Valley for trapping, hunting, gathering and trading. Fehr said all special use permits are assessed on a case-bycase basis. He expects similar applications for fire-tending to

come down the pipe, but stressed that the permit issued in July holds no bearing on future requests. “This isn’t a blanket, you-canhave-fire-for-ceremony under all circumstances,” he said. “The groups that come understand that.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

tuesday, august 1, 2017 // issue 102 // the jasper local// page B2

Local rivers //

Big water, bigger passion: Jasper river guide following his heart and from his clients— last month during one of the final runs of the year on the Beaver River. The Beaver is a rollicking waterway pouring off of the west slopes of the Rockies en route to the world’s greatest salmon river, The Fraser. Before it gets there, there are 15 kilometres of Class Four whitewater rapids that Jimmy and his teammates at Stellar Descents, a small rafting company based in Tete Jaune, B.C., have over the past four years specialized in “Three main qualities make that making part of river special, The first is that their home turf.

Meet Jimmy Gillese on the street and you’ll find yourself face to face with an affable fellow. A dapper dude with a friendly twinkle in his eye, Jimmy’s the type of guy you’d lend your favourite drill to, the type of chap you’d ask to hold your baby while you zip into the grocery store. But there’s another Jimmy underneath that gregarious exterior; a guy who, if you’re in his river raft, will not hesitate to ramp up the intensity. Gillese, a passionate paddler and an

you get to run a named waterfall (Beaver Falls), the second is the continuous rapids at a Class Three-plus and Four level and the third is its really beautiful, wilderness feel.”

experienced whitewater guide, can seemingly summon the Water God Achelous with his booming baritone. “FORWARD HARD!” Gillese will command. “DIG DEEPER!” Gillese was summoning all of the energy he could—from the river,

STELLAR DUDE // ON BEING HIS OWN BOSS: “I FIND IT VERY SATISFYING TO OPEN THE DOOR IN THE MORNING AND SHAKE MY CLIENTS’ HANDS AT THE END OF THE TRIP.” // NICOLE GABOURY

“Three main qualities make that river special,” Jimmy says. “The first is that you get to run a named waterfall (Beaver Falls), the second is the continuous rapids at a Class Three-plus and Four level and the third is its really beautiful, wilderness feel.” What also makes it unique is its small window of accessibility to rafters. A relatively short, narrow river, The Beaver fills up quickly with spring melt, but after the mountains are drained of their winter snowpack, drops

NO SHOULDER PRISONS! //JASPER'S LAUREN KENNEDY PICKS OUT A HOT NUMBER FOR HER TRIP ON THE BEAVER. WORD IS SPREADING ABOUT THIS RAD RUN . // N GABOURY

dramatically. “It’s finicky,” Gillese explains. “You can have a rain event overnight and it’ll be raging. Because it’s so short it’s more reactive to the weather and snowpack.” While it’s temperamental and its season is limited to June, when it’s in, The Beaver is arguably the raddest run in the Rockies. “It’s got a two kilometre long Grade 4 rapid that takes 10 minutes to run,” Gillese says. “It has huge features, specific moves and very busy action.” For that reason, before they guide The Beaver, Gillese and his life-long friend and business partner, Tyler Williamson, require their staff to have 80 hours of wilderness first aid training as well as their Swift Water Rescue technician ticket— qualifications far and above the norm to work at most rafting outfits.

Gillese knows Stellar will never do the numbers that the Jasper rafting companies pump out in a summer. That’s OK by Gillese. As he says: Small company, big rapids. “Size matters,” he smiles. So does customer feedback. While Jimmy is quick to offer high praise for his staff, he’s not about to self-gloss. Fortunately for his prospective customers, Trip Advisor is doing it for him. Out of 140 reviews on the usergenerated travel content site, 139 of them give Stellar Descents a perfect, five-star review. You can’t buy that kind of publicity. “That tells me we’re exceeding expectations and doing a good job out there,” Gillese says. When he looks back at where he was five years ago, not long before he bought into Stellar Descents, it’s clear Gillese is exceeding his own expectations, too.

“We’re very diligent in our hiring and training,” Gillese says. “We want to be 100 per cent certain anyone we put on the water with guests is 100 per cent capable and comfortable.”

Back then, his girlfriend, Krista, who he married in 2015, and with whom he had a baby in 2016, encouraged Gillese to follow his heart.

Not that he’s comparing his company to those based in Jasper. Just like Tete Jaune and Jasper are very different,

He’s been paddling forward ever since.

BEAVER FEVER // JIMMY GILLESE GUIDES A BOATFUL OF EXCITED CLIENTS OVER THE MONEY SHOT, BEAVER FALLS, ON THE SMALL BUT WILD BEAVER RIVER, NEAR MCBRIDE, B.C. // SUPPLIED

“She said ‘Jimmy, you’re a river guide. Do what you want to do.’”

bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

//EVERY SO OFTEN, JIMMY'S WIFE, KRISTA (IN GREEN), HOPS ABOARD FOR A RIDE. THE COUPLE MET RAFTING IN JASPER. // SUPPLIED

page b3+B4 // the jasper local // issue 102 // tuesday, august 1, 2017

FEATURE // STORY AND PHOTOS BY MELANIE PATCHELL

A WALK IN THE PARK: HIKING JASPER NATIONAL PARKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S NORTH BOUNDARY TRAIL

Late summer is a great time to head to the backcountry. Water levels are low and peaks are snow-free. Rather than hike to the top of, or around, our impressive landscape, we hiked clear across it. The North Boundary Trail is 156 km and goes from one end of Jasper National Park to the other. An 11-day trek offered the perfect combination of meditative plodding, adventure and sleeping in. I even packed a fishing rod with the idea of finding a secret fishing spot or two. The terrain is not technical. We started our hike at the Rock Lake trailhead, and worked our way west, and mostly downhill, to the end of the trail at Mt. Robson Provincial Park, B.C. With the exception of the Berg Lake section, the trail has negligible elevation change, and follows the wide valleys of the Snake Indian and Snaring Rivers. The scenery is subtle, but expansive and spectacular in its isolation from development. It was much like hiking the Athabasca River valley, only without the Jasper Townsite and associated roads. Only once

// I EVEN BROUGHT ALONG A FISHING ROD IN HOPE OF FINDING A FEW SECRET SPOTS.

// SCENERY IS EXPANSIVE AND SPECTACULAR.

did we pop above the treeline to enjoy the alpine as we cruised through Snake Indian Pass. Although it would be an option to hike with the goal of crushing kilometers, most days we enjoyed covering a leisurely 13 km or so and doing a bit of evening fishing rather than continuing onto the next camp. The distance and remote nature of the hike is appealing, but can be challenging and certainly keeps things real. We only encountered two other hikers in nine days before crossing into B.C., both solo hikers with canine companions. One playfully chastised us for the size of our 40 lb packs (although I must say hers looked enormous). In addition to our standard backcountry camping gear, we carried a SPOT beacon, bear spray, maps, GPS, bug spray, sunscreen and first aid gear. There were more

// THE "DANGEROUS RETURN. THIS IS THE M

bear tracks on the tracks, but the big their distance. It know that althoug hardly intimidati attack groups of t We yodelled perio the trail passed through dense vegetation to avoid surprising these potentially dangerous berry pickers, and kept our bear spray accessible. We we though, to accept risk to enjoy the f backcountry.

The trail was well camping was app Many streams ha Campsites were b fire pits, cables st

// CROSSING BLUE CREEK - MARKED AS A DANGEROUS CREEK CROSSING ON OUR MAPS AND PROBABLY A LOT WORSE AFTER A GOOD RAIN. WASHED OUT BRIDGES WERE ONE OF OUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES ON THE TRAIL.

// THE B SCENIC

// LEONIE BROWN WAS SELFSUFFICIENT, CARRYING ALL THE SUPPLIES SHE NEEDED FOR AN 11 DAY TREK IN HER PACK.

CREEK CROSSING" AT BLUE CREEK WAS OUR POINT OF NO MORNING AFTER. BY GOLLY WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT!

// THESE BIG OLD SPIDERS LIKE TO BUILD BEAUTIFUL WEBS ACROSS THE TRAIL—WHICH OF COURSE END UP ON YOUR FACE.

e trail than people g fuzzies kept was reassuring to gh our group was ng, bears rarely three or more. odically when

trees to hoist food out of reach of bears, and pit toilets or even Parks Canada backcountry thrones for washroom facilities. Trails were well trodden by packhorses heading to the Wilmore Wilderness Area, and we only occasionally required route-finding skills to We were happy, though, navigate alpine willow thickets or washouts.

to accept some level of risk to enjoy the freedom of the backcountry.

ere happy, t some level of freedom of the

I have to admit, one of my concerns at the start of the hike was the status of biting insects. As it turns out, while blackflies were more of a pain than around the Jasper townsite, I never felt compelled to use the bug spray I brought along.

In reality, creek crossings were our biggest challenge. Just about daily, we would have to carefully make our way through fast water, with packs unbuckled and using poles for extra support. Remnants of derelict bridges lodged in the bank suggested better times. We enjoyed fabulous weather, but high BERG LAKE TRAIL IS SUPPOSED TO BE ONE OF THE MOST water at IN THE ROCKIES. WE HAD HUMOROUSLY BAD VISIBILITY. Blue Creek

l marked, and propriately rustic. ad bridges. basic, but included trung between

would have certainly forced us back the way we came. It helped to factor a possible retreat into our travel plans. The Berg Lake section of the trail is the exception to ever ything I just mentioned. After days of hiking, skirting the Berg glacier and passing beneath Mt. Robson would be our grand finale. The section is touted as one of the most scenic trails in the Rockies, and has the crowds to go with it. In addition to our backcountr y camping permits for Jasper National Park, we carried a camping permit for a site at Adolphus Lake that we reser ved months in advance. However, on our last day we had humorously bad visibility, and only caught a glimpse at the backside of Mt. Robson before thick fog rolled in. Judging by the icebergs floating around in the lake, and massive boulders, a proper look at the glaciers and towering peaks of the Berg Lake Trail is worth a return trip. This is the kind of trek that I could do ever y year, if I were luck y enough to find the time. There are many side trails that take you even deeper into the backcountr y, suggesting there are even more secrets to be found. I can’t wait to spend more time exploring the area. melanie patchell //

info@thejasperlocal.com

page B5 // the jasper local // issue 102 // tuesday, august 1, 2017

Local food //

Entrepreneur and chef establishing Jasper roots

It’s 10 minutes before noon at the Jasper Curry House. Owner and head chef, Gopal Shelke, is busy making naan bread. His hands move like he’s playing a tabla: rhythmic, graceful and lightning fast. Shelke turns the dough, slaps it, rolls it out and portions it off. He dabs the segments with butter and drops them into a clay tandoor oven. Finally, with barely a minute before his wife Savita unlocks the door and lets in the patrons who’ve been lingering since 11:30, Shelke fishes the naan out of the oven with two long metal wands. The sweet, slightly charred aroma wafts through the restaurant as Savita places the soft bread in one of nine stainless steel chaffing dishes. The Jasper Curry House is ready for service. It wasn’t always this routine. Even now, understaffed and overworked, Shelke recalls with a shudder the first day he opened: May 15, 2015. With no full time employees apart from himself, Shelke had to resort to recruiting friends to help cook, clean and wait tables. Although he’d worked in many kitchens since he apprenticed as a cook in Mumbai, India, including that of the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, where he got his start in Canada, he had actually never worked in a restaurant that served Indian food. Back then, he didn’t even know how to make naan. “That first night we used the naan we bought from Sysco,” he laughed. “I had to practice to make it from scratch.” Practice he did. He had no other choice. When he opened his doors that first summer, Shelke had $70 in his bank account. It was do or die. “We ran out of food in the first couple days,” he recalled. “That’s when I realized that this is something I can do for my future.” Shelke’s future didn’t always look so

//SAVITA SHELKE STARTS HER LONG DAY. SHE AND HER HUSBAND HAVE BOTH RECEIVED THEIR PERMANENT RESIDENT STATUS. // BOB COVEY

//GOPAL SHELKE HAS BIG PLANS FOR THE WINTER, BUT NEEDS TO SOLVE HIS STAFFING ISSUES BEFORE PUTTING THEM INTO ACTION // B COVEY

promising. When he first came to Jasper, in 2008, he became ill. He was experiencing excruciating headaches, but doctors only prescribed painkillers. Finally, it was determined his blood pressure was dangerously high. He spent three weeks in an Edmonton hospital, alone and miserable. The prognosis: he needed a new kidney. “I tell my family in India that life is good in Jasper.” Back to Mumbai he went. Although Shelke grew up in a small farming community, he lived in India’s largest city since Grade 10, sharing a 12x12foot dwelling with his family in one of Mumbai’s festering slums. As such, after his operation, in which his mother donated one of her kidneys to her then 26-year-old son, Shelke wanted to come back to Jasper. Canada represented a cleaner, healthier lifestyle, he believed. He went back to JPL, where he learned to cook at a high level, developed his English and made

friendships. Then, after six years, it was time to take the next step. “I felt locals were asking for an Indian restaurant in town,” he said.

It was a demand he would have to take a huge risk to meet. He had scraped a bit of money together, but nowhere near enough to open a new restaurant. There was equipment to buy, renovations to make, staff to hire. The Community Futures West Yellowhead business centre based in Hinton helped him get over the hump. Friends and family also came to the table with critical help. “That summer felt good,” he said. “Locals were talking good about the food, word was spreading.” Word has continued to spread. Unfortunately, help has not become any easier to find. This summer has stretched the Jasper Curry House thinner than ever before. Shelke and his wife work from morning until midnight, every day. On the Canada Day Long Weekend, despite the lineup of people who wanted to get a helping of butter chicken or eggplant masala, Shelke had to shut the doors early. Running a skeleton crew, by the end of the night, the quality of the dining

experience was starting to suffer. “I don’t want to make our customers unhappy by not having food or good service,” Shelke said. Despite those difficulties, Shelke is still seeing a demand for more ethnic food in Jasper. For two summers he has had tour companies knocking on his door, only to be disappointed that they can’t fit their group inside his small restaurant space. For that reason, Shelke is once again taking another leap of faith: this winter, he hopes to open a new space featuring South Indian, Thai and other exotic flavours. Unlike the Curry House, however, when it’s not catering to tour groups, Shelke envisions an à la carte menu. He’s picked out the space, construction is underway, he just needs bodies—who will inevitably need accommodations. “I might have to put staff in Hinton,” he shrugged. Shelke and his wife are committed to Jasper. While he still heads back to India every winter to farm with his family, as he expertly flips his homemade naan bread he reflects on putting roots down in the Canadian Rockies. “When I speak to my family I tell them that business is good, that life is good,” he says. “I like what I’m doing.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

tuesday, august 1, 2017 // issue 102 // the jasper local// page B6

local accessibility //

Getting accessibility in Jasper rolling Riedler knows all of this. After becoming familiar with Jasper’s sidewalks and structures for the past dozen years or so, he knows which curbs are easiest to approach, which washrooms have proper grab bars and which automatic doors give him enough time to actually get through them. The problem, he says, is the lack of accessibility consistency across the community.

A Jasper man is posing a challenge to raise awareness of accessibility in Jasper. Justin Riedler was born with spina bifida, a condition wherein the membranes around the spinal cord are incomplete. For the past 13 years, Riedler has experienced the challenges of living in a town that—when it comes to accommodating folks living with paralysis—could be much more inclusive.

“I don’t want other people who have physical impairments to hesitate to visit,” he says.

“Although beautiful, for a person living with paralysis, Jasper comes up aggravatingly short,” Riedler says. To demonstrate that fact, and to affect change, Riedler is posing a challenge: spend one entire day in a wheelchair. He’ll even wheel along with you. “I want to show people some of the challenges faced on a day-to-day basis,” Riedler says. “I think once someone has a different perspective of the world they can start to look at it differently.” Riedler understands that change often comes slowly to a small town, but there are days when the situations he faces are “overwhelming.” Whether it’s inaccessible washrooms in local businesses or snowy sidewalks in winter, Riedler says he empathizes with tourists who are unfamiliar with the idiosyncrasies of accessibility in Jasper.

//JASPER'S JUSTIN RIEDLER WANTS TO SHOW HIS FELLOW COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHAT LIFE IS LIKE IN A WHEELCHAIR HERE. GET IN TOUCH WITH US TO HELP RAISE AWARENESS. // BC

“I don’t know how Jasper can grow as a place if it does not take bigger steps to making this town the same for everyone,” he said. The Municipality of Jasper has taken some measures to address its accessibility issues. In 2012 town administrators accepted an offer from the Alberta Paraplegic Foundation to perform an accessibility audit of municipal facilities. The report focused primarily on mobility-impaired issues, providing suggestions for counter heights, signage,

Service Directory

“I don’t know how Jasper can grow as a place if it does not take bigger steps to making this town the same for everyone.” power-assisted doors and washrooms. The document also discussed sidewalks, crosswalks and pathways. Some of the town’s facilities made the grade—the Community and Family Services building received high marks, for example—but many assets are lacking accessibility features. The Arena, the Aquatic Centre and the Activity Centre could all be given attention, the report suggests.

Riedler isn’t a complainer. He says he understands that renovations cost money, that snow removal will never be perfect and that weather and other factors play into how easy or hard it is to pilot a wheelchair around town. Moreover, he recognizes the efforts some businesses and organizations have made to be more inclusive. He mentioned new ramps at the Jasper Legion, lowered counters at TD Bank and the Jasper Community Team’s Wilderness Access Program as examples of progress. “I’m not calling for business owners to overhaul their buildings,” he said. “But I think in some places we can make a better effort.”

Awareness is a powerful tool. If you’d like to join Riedler and The Jasper Local in the Jasper Accessibility Challenge, email bob@thejasperlocal.com. “Change can’t come if no one knows there needs to be a change,” Riedler said. “Everyone should be able to enjoy what Jasper has to offer.” bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com