The Jasper Local September 15, 2017

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LOCAL + independent

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thejasperlocal.com

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friday, september 15, 2017 // ISSUE 105

LUKE PTA, YANICK JEAN-LEGROS AND DUSTIN COMYN DESCEND THE WEST RIDGE OF MOUNT EDITH CAVELL SEPTEMBER 5. // RIAN MIZZI // INSTAGRAM: @MIZZIPHOTOS

Survey says: no wildlife fencing this year Parks Canada is conducting surveys of wildlife zones on Highway 16 but maintains there are no plans in place this year to install wildlife exclusion fencing.

“Preliminary surveys … at this time, are for information gathering purposes only,” said Michaela Campbell, Jasper National Park’s public relations and communications officer, in an email to The Jasper Local.

Jasper Tour Company’s Joe Urie discovered flagging near the Morrow Bluffs (12 mile bridge) area and after inquiring with local officials, could not ascertain whether fencing

similar to that alongside Hwy 1 in the Bow Valley was to be erected in Jasper.

Campbell said the surveys are being done in conjunction with massive infrastructure investments across Canada.

“The agency regularly monitors and assesses areas of known wildlife mortality caused by vehicular traffic in order to determine if further mitigations are needed,” she said.

Parks Canada has the longest on-going wildlife crossing research and monitoring program in the world. To date, 47 wildlife underpasses, six wildlife overpasses, and 97 kilometres of fencing have been installed along national park highways. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 105 // friday, september 15, 2017

editorial //

Local Vocal The race for town council is nearly upon us. It’s an exciting time, and once those Jasperites who think they’re cut out for public office throw their hats into the ring, the political promises and campaign commitments are sure to follow.

In a small town like Jasper, election season is when most folks who normally couldn’t care less about the minutia of local government all of a sudden have opinions to sling and bones to pick. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but there is a danger of a municipal election turning into a popularity contest rather than a healthy, democratic exercise wherein constituents select the folks they think will best represent their values, concerns and hopes.

What we at The Jasper Local are hoping for on September 18 is a slate of nominees that represents the diverse make-up of this community. Imagine if we saw a cast of candidates that variously spoke for our francophone community, local women in business, young entrepreneurs, Jasper’s Filipino families, people with disabilities, the LGBTQ crowd, renters, seniors and immigrants, to take a few examples. No offence to the white, male, homeowning baby boomers among us, but you guys have had your time in the sun. There are a wider range of voices that deserve a seat at the table.

Of course that can’t happen if there’s no one coming up the backstretch. A lack of time to give holds many people of diverse social groups from considering public service. Career demands and family commitments are intensified when the career and family in question are young.

But in some respects, a community is like a career—and even like a family. What one puts into it, one will get back. Councillors will tell you that although the meetings are long and the pressure can be acute, the rewards of moving their community forward are genuine.

While The Jasper Local wants to gently prod Jasperites of all stripes to consider running for office, we also want to remind whomever is elected—old white guys included—that they’ll best serve the community by bringing residents together.

That means accommodating a diverse set of interests.

This October 16, let’s think about our common goals while ensuring our community’s diversity is represented. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

Burn before reading: a poem for Parks Canada was promised honest, open government

In a dictatorship that’s normal but in Canada it’s sinister.

And we wanted to believe in this important covenant

If you want a question answered they’ll regard you with suspicion

We were given the assurance there would always be transparency

And you’ll never get an answer till the ‘boss’ gives his permission

But Parks Canada was happy with its comfortable complacency

At this point you may resort to soothing your frustration

It felt protection of the wilderness was really quite ridiculous

By applying under ATIP for Access to Information

And cloaked everything in secrecy that was really most meticulous

Parks then has to give up documents that they’d really rather not

Bike trail memos marked as ‘Secret’ were relayed to the Minister;

But they cannot give up documents

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

..............................................................................................................ads@thejasperlocal.com cartoonist

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

facebook.com/thejasperlocal

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// Local politics

friday, september 15, 2017 // issue 105 // the jasper local// page A3

RACK ‘EM UP // BULL CARIBOU IN THE TONQUIN VALLEY PUT ON A FALL DISPLAY NEAR AMETHYST LAKE. CARIBOU ARE LISTED AS A SPECIES AT RISK IN JNP. //LADA D PHOTOGRAPHY

Ex councillors prep potential politicians Two former councillors with nearly a half-century of public service between them encouraged a small group of Jasperites toying with the idea of running for municipal office to take the plunge—so long as they’re doing it for the right reasons.

Zinck and Kongsrud admitted certain issues got emotional. At times Kongsrud felt like a sitting duck for residents’ pot shots.

“You’re there to serve the whole community,” said Brenda Zinck, who, before sitting as a municipal councillor for 12 years, was a member of the Jasper Improvement District Committee.

“If you’re running with a personal agenda, that’s not forward thinking.”

“We are friends and neighbours and we had huge differences of opinion,” she said. “It’s hard for people to come in when they’re talking about their kids or their pets and not get emotional.”

When you have residents’ common interests in mind, however, occupying a seat on municipal council is an honour, said former school board member and councillor, Gloria Kongsrud.

“I can’t think of anything in life that could be better than serving the community,” she said.

Zinck and Kongsrud were special guests of an information session hosted by the Municipality of Jasper. During the two hour meeting, municipal staff prepared potential candidates for the workload, scope of responsibility, decision making protocol and personal sacrifices which comes with the territory of municipal politics.

“I remember times going home and sitting on the edge of the bed and crying,” Kongsrud said.

“But my skin toughened over the years.”

Zinck also recalled hard decisions that affected her friendships.

Far and away, however, the job was gratifying.

Zinck said she only needs to look around the community to see the work council accomplished over the years.

Communications Manager Christine Nadon told the group the evening’s purpose was to promote local interest in running for office.

“We want to ensure we get as many candidates as possible,” she said.

Nomination Day is September 18. Candidates must file their nomination papers between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Nomination forms can be obtained at the municipal administration office (303 Pyramid Lake Road). bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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// Letter cont.

that they’ve no longer got So they erase all the emails and hide other files away And ‘burn before reading’ becomes the order of the day.

It’s really quite simple if you know how to micro-manage Then the ENGOS and the media can’t establish any damage.

- Jill Seaton, Jasper

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page B1 // the jasper local // issue 105 // friday, september 15, 2017

Local election //

DRAFT DODGERS// THE 2017 TOUR OF ALBERTA SPED THROUGH JASPER NATIONAL PARK SEPTEMBER 1 UNDER SMOKY SKIES AND OVER VAST VISTAS. NEARLY 100 PRO CYCLISTS FROM ACROSS THE WORLD RACED THE HWY 93/93A LOOP (THREE TIMES) BEFORE MAKING THE STIFF CLIMB TO MARMOT BASIN. // BOB COVEY

Small town election, big picture issues Before you decide on who you’re voting for, make sure you know what councillors will be working on

Jasper Housing Corp Housing may be Jasper’s defining issue, and it has been for some time. There has been much progress made on this file thanks to the the creation of the Jasper Community Housing Corporation but the details of this entity are important. For one, it’s a board on which only two members (currently) of council sit: the mayor and another delegate.

The board is rounded out by two members of the public and two non-voting positions: one from Parks Canada and the other from the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce. The town’s Chief Administrative Officer, Mark Fercho, is the board’s chair.

While it’s good to have a sense of the board’s past accomplishments (the facilitation of MPL Place and the community’s co-operative housing units), what’s critical for freshly elected councillors to understand is the JCHC’s future focus. Currently, the JCHC has taken aim at the shortage of staff housing as well as improving options for retired Jasperites, the thought being that seniors should be able to move into smaller digs and sell their single family units to families or businesses which require more room.

create the environment in which a potential developer will invest. On the surface, national parks are not inviting places to do business (red tape, high costs, governmentrelated fickleness), so the JCHC has been working to create a better lay of the land for possible partners.

“We want to take the mystery out for investors,” Fercho explained.

By presenting opportunities and outlining exactly what the market in Jasper is all about, the JCHC hopes to minimize the risk of investing in development. That way, some of the big ideas for alleviating Jasper’s housing crunch can take hold.

Tourism Municipality Initiative So you think you can lobby?

Politicians may get special interest groups trying to sell them on shiny new proposals but rookie public servants may not realize they will also be expected to do their own share of soliciting. Particularly when it comes to creating revenue for the municipality, Jasper councillors have been barking up the provincial tree for tourism infrastructure funding.

Their pitch: 5,000 residents foot the bill for 25,000 summer visitors per day and it ain’t right! Little headway had been made, it seemed, despite the communities of Banff and Canmore also singing the same tune. More recently, however, Jasper has taken a different

“We want to take the mystery out for investors.”

That’s all good in theory; the trick is to

approach: showing how much revenue these tourism towns create for Alberta. Unlike most provinces (British Columbia being the most relevant example), Wild Rose Country dumps locally-collected provincial tourism revenue exclusively into promotion. The current council has felt it is important to make it known to Alberta officials this is an imbalanced approach. New members of local government will have to decide if they are going to join that rally cry or not.

Asset Management Plan Here’s where those spouting clichéd catchphrases like “attention to detail” and “an eye for numbers” will get put to the test. With any large organization holding millions of dollars worth of assets, the key to proper management is finding the sweet spot of maximizing those assets’ service life while determining at what time planned maintenance and renewal is most efficient. Managing assets is of course led by the managers and council is in the governance game, but a keen eye for keeping taxpayer costs down and getting the most out of service delivery will be advantageous for any future politician.

There is a plan that the current council has begun but implementation of that plan will be considered by the next council. This plan relates to grants which could fund infrastructure and other large projects, too. In a nutshell: no asset management plan, no grants. For hopeful politicians, the campaign can be boiled down similarly: no work plan, no votes! bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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friday, september 15, 2017 // issue 105 // the jasper local// page B2

Local education//

Jasper principal shaping education in Africa When Jasper Elementary School’s vice-principal Shawn Arseneault returned home from a Me-to-We trip to Kenya in 2015, he hoped that someday he’d be able to return to Africa during his teaching career.

So when just two years later he had the opportunity to help develop a program to sharpen the skills of school principals in Uganda, he jumped at it.

Arseneault and his co-tutor developed a program for Ugandan principals. Much of the focus of their sessions was on shifting the role of principal from being purely administrative to playing a role in the education of the students.

“We wanted to reiterate to these principals that they became principal because they were, at some point, an excellent teacher. We want them to continue with that instead of becoming a person that spends all of their time in an office.”

“Principals in Uganda are very much LAUGHING AND LEARNING //JASPER ELEMENTARY SCHOOL VICE-PRINCIPAL SHAWN ARSENEAULT managers, where they lead and do VISITED UGANDA THIS PAST SUMMER WITH THE CANADIAN TEACHERS’ FEDERATION. // SUPPLIED the budget, but they don’t do a lot Most public school classes in “I’ve been gone from Uganda for over of the education,” A key theme in Uganda have approximately 150 a month but I’m still daily thinking “We wanted to reiterate to said Arseneault. their sessions was students. This is not the case with of the things that I lived while I was these principals that they “We wanted to the connection private schools, which is part of the over there,” he said. “The last time I make the role became principal because between building reason why they are becoming more was around a lot of students was with of principal positive relationships popular in that country. Due to class they were, at some point, those classrooms of 150. It’ll be a bit about being with students and size, public school lessons are more strange to be in front of my class of an excellent teacher.” instructional reducing the need for lecture-style than interactive. This 20 students at the most.” leaders, where punishment in the has pushed classroom management Two years ago, Arseneault’s Me-to-We they’re trying to classroom. to the top of the priority list, even in trip had been about building a school, lead teachers in teachers’ college.

“Unfortunately, in Uganda, there is which will benefit students for years being good teachers as well.” still quite a bit of violence towards “You would imagine it to be a lot to come. This trip, though, could Along with 50 other teachers from children. They still practice corporal of chaos, but it’s very structured,” benefit generations.

Canada, Arseneault was accepted punishment in the classes and the said Arseneault. “The students “These places were chosen for into the Canadian Teachers’ principals are often tasked with this learn from a young age that a reason, often because their Federation’s Project Overseas to work when children are not behaving,” said school is a safe place to be and education system needs a systemic with teachers and administrators Arseneault. “Our message was that that it is an opportunity, and that transformation,” said Arseneault. in various countries. Once in their we wanted principals to realize that they are lucky to be there.”

“With the Canadian Teachers’ assigned region, participants teamed everything starts with relationships.

Before classes commenced last Federation, it’s about leaving teachers up with a local professional (their If you have a good relationship with week, Arseneault was expecting with sustainable tools to bring to “co-tutor”) and devised development a student, or with your staff, then a bit of culture shock upon the classroom and to transform their programs to give teachers tools to things move in the right direction education system.” bring to the classroom and transform and a consequence-build system isn’t returning to Jasper Elementary for the school year.

Megan warren // megan@thejasperlocal.com their education system. necessary.”

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page b3+B4 // the jasper local // issue 105 // friday, september 15, 2017

FEATURE // STORY BY DAVID HARRAP

It started with Pyramid Mountain. And a twodollar child seat on the back of my Rocky Mountain Blizzard.

We’d been in Jaspser for two months yet I hadn’t really noticed the mountain before. Then all of a sudden, as though the mountain had dropped from Heaven the previous night, I saw it for the first time.

“Why don’t we have a go at climbing Pyramid?” We had stopped for a snack on top of Old Fort Point, with its

gear, with Little Lord Fauntleroy comfortably ensconced in his foampadded bike seat, demanding a story.

tiptoed in them around outside Jasper’s library ready.

These were early days in our quest to be mountain men and we were ill prepared for the weather at the top. Down in town was the Tropic of Cancer, on top of Pyramid was the Arctic Circle. Freezing clouds swathed the mountain, pockets of snow among the rocks, a fierce wind lashed the peak, nebulous hoarfrost covered the cables and tower of the sky-tram. The iron gantry of the microwave tower, which was still in place in July of 1993, gave the place a science-fiction look. But we had made it, and for the first time I felt the opiate tug of

Summit day was boiling snow bridges on the gla collapsing and one mem the team had constipati you’re caparisoned like knight, ropes trussing y Christmas turkey, have how long it takes to get when you’ve got to go? them false alarms? With we lost the summit. We next year and got a littl

Once the Littlest Hiker were done with plain old our hikes were always w o c m W t s w c T t i e m

W g t w //MOUNTAIN BUDDIES, SETTING OFF TO HIKE ANOTHER PEAK. m // FATHER AND SON FENDING OFF THE COLD NEAR THE TOP OF DAVID HARRAP WROTE THE LITTLEST HIKER IN THE CANADIAN cl MOUNT BRYANT, IN KANANASKIS COUNTRY. // SUPPLIED ROCKIES, BASED ON HE AND HIS SON’S ADVENTURES. // SUPPLIED w un commanding view of the Athabasca which we’d named. We Valley and Pyramid Mountain on the glass jars covered in du other side of town. “We could do it registers which we left tomorrow. Ride the bike to the base that we built. We didn’t of the mountain, then up to the top. at base camp watching We’ll make a day of it. What do you then orange then red as think?” up and the sky would b salmon then gentle blue Liam asked if we could go to Nutters climbing mountains. As for Liam, he painting and the pancak to get stuff for the trip. He was would come to the moon if that were ready and we’d pour on already on board. I had never climbed where I said we were going. He just syrup and for the briefe a mountain in my life and neither had wanted to be with Dad. we would see the mount my compadre.

As Liam got bigger, so did the in the limpid air of a bra But then again he was only four-years- mountains. Just before he started How lucky we were. old. If Liam’s mother had been alive Grade 1 we had a crack at Mount We had the odd disaste she would have said, “You’re taking Rainier, the most heavily-glaciated we were playing double him where? Are you nuts?” peak in the contiguous United the summit of Eiffel Pea States. We got crampons (Liam wore Absolutely.

Queen of Diamonds ble women’s; they don’t make crampons I rode my bike up the fire road, had two grizzly cubs pu for little kids), and for practice we cranking away in my granny prints on the fly of our t

“Just before he started Grade 1 we had a crack at Mount Rainier, the most heavily-glaciated peak in the contiguous United States.”

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DANCING ON THE TIPS OF THE EARTH:

m around the lawn r’s library. We were

was boiling hot, on the glaciers were d one member of constipation. When oned like a medieval trussing you up like a key, have you any idea kes to get undressed got to go? And all of rms? With all the delays mmit. We came back the got a little higher.

est Hiker and his Dad h plain old hiking, e always with one objective: to climb another mountain.

We’d get to the top of one and see another we fancied climbing.

That’s the trouble: there is just no end of rocky mountains.

We had a growing list on the bedroom wall of mountains we’d OP OF climbed. Many were remote, unnamed peaks amed. We brought along ered in duct tape for ch we left under cairns We didn’t rush, we’d sit watching hints of yellow hen red as the sun woke y would be pink and gentle blue like a Monet the pancakes would be d pour on the homemade the briefest of moments the mountains standing air of a brand new day. were.

dd disaster, like the time ng double solitaire on Eiffel Peak and the monds blew away. We ly cubs put dripping paw fly of our tent and mama

r i a f f a y l i A fam

DYNAMIC DUO // LIAM AND DAVID HARRAP ATOP MOUNT DAVID, BANFF NP. THE FATHER-SON TEAM HAVE BEEN SCALING PEAKS FOR 20+ YEARS

bear punch a big hole in the roof (we were out at the time.)

We had arguments on how to tie the rope knots when we were dangling on steep slab. //LIAM HARRAP WALKING INTO AN AUTUMN DREAM THIS SEPTEMBER. // DAVID HARRAP “Well look in the book, Liam! What does it say?”

We had brought along the climbers’ bible, The Freedom Of The Hills, in case we needed on-the-job training.

Then Liam went to university and my climbing partners changed. While Liam was taking the scenic route to an undergraduate degree—riding a bike around Iceland, hauling a toboggan up the King’s LITTLE STEPS, BIG VIEWS // THE LITTLEST HIKER ON TOP OF Trench on Mount Logan, MOUNT ADAMS, IN WASHINGTON STATE, U.S.A. // SUPPLIED training for the Boston still raging against the dying of the Marathon in Svalbard, light . . .

Norway—his old man was plodding up unnamed peaks in wilderness areas And when I’m at the Home and nurse and dancing on the tips of the earth is tucking the tartan rug around my with two stuffed rabbits and a pink legs and wiping away the tapioca Himalayan duck. pudding dribbling down my chin I’ve never been much for those grading systems of numbers and decimals rating a climb, but I know a good beer when I taste one. I named an unnamed peak that took me 12 days in total to climb after the beer I drank at base camp: Mount 8.6 (you’ll find this delicious beer in DJ Bowen’s impressive cooler).

When Liam comes home (he’s doing his master’s at Carleton University) he always does a trip with his old dad.

Just the other week we got up Mount Bryant, a peak that we had tried two years before when an early September snow storm had turned us back just below the summit.

He’s the one leading the climbs now, the one waiting for this tattered old man. I’m slower these days but I’m

and saying “He’s gone again,” I’ll be dreaming of all those mountains I climbed with my boy.

Jasper’s David Harrap is the author of The Littlest Hiker in the Canadian Rockies.

If he’s not wandering in the wilderness, you may be able to find him picking out his next mountain moniker in the local beer cooler. david harrap // info@thejasperlocal.com

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page B5 // the jasper local // issue 105 // friday, september 15, 2017

Local adventure //

Getting her feet wet: Putting the can in canyoning “When was the last time you did something for the first time?”

The catchphrase at the bottom of Joe Storms’ business card is a challenge in no uncertain terms.

And so, with an invitation to experience canyoning with Storms and his nascent Jasper National Park company, Rocky Mountain Canyoning, I took the plunge.

Our adventure was to take place at Ogre Canyon, a geological feature known to few outside of the climbing community.

The canyon lies about seven kilometers outside of the community of Brule, just outside of Jasper National Park. To get there, we drove along a gravel back road lined with bushels of

of the other two clients on our trip put it: “Now I can tell my mates that I’ve been atop the first of the Rocky Mountains.”

Relishing our adventure time, we played around in the upper canyon before heading downstream, bridging across the limestone walls and hunting for fossils along the way. Being only 5-foot 4-inches tall proved a bit of a challenge to properly span the chasm in spots, but Storms helped me find alternative routes.

SWELL RAPPEL // CANYONING IS A RELATIVELY NEW COMMERCIAL VENTURE IN JASPER NATIONAL PARK. GUIDED TOURS TAKE PARTICIPANTS THROUGH THE UNSEEN SLOTS AND FISSURES OF SOME OF THE ROCKIES’ MOST UNIQUE GEOLOGICAL FORMATIONS. // SUPPLIED

“It’s not about height,” he said, “it’s about finesse.”

It’s also about psyching yourself up.

“Even with an intense As we made harness wedgie and my our way back wet gerbil paws still a to where we’d far cry from our guide’s ditched the aquatic goat hooves, I’ve ropes and got never felt so intrepid.“ ready for the real business, one by one, we hooked Saskatoon and Buffalo berries a doubleand featuring the occasional locking horse jam. We left the van in a carabiner into muddy pullout along the access our harnesses, KISS ME! // AQUATIC LIFE, INCLUDING THE COLUMBIA road, bringing with us only SPOTTED FROG, CAN PROVIDE TRACTION TIPS//SUPPLIED stepped our the gear we’d need for the trip heels over – wetsuits, hydroskin thermal the edge of layers, harnesses, helmets, the precipice splash tops and neoprene and took a SLIDE GUIDE // A DYNAMIC ENVIRONMENT OF LEDGES, booties. From there, we made POOLS AND NATURAL WATER SLIDES GIVES CANYONERS deep breath.

AN OPPORTUNITY TO MAKE LIKE AN OTTER. // SUPPLIED our way up a low ridgeline Looking at toward the canyon access Storms, who Spiderman-style. To point, about a 15-minute hike had lowered himself over the my distress, Spidey from the trailhead. To the east first small ledge and who could pulled the rope down we could spot the first waves run across nearly-vertical after him; this was the of the foothills; to the west, walls like some kind of aquatic point of no return. The Roche Miette cut the sky like a mountain goat, I was confident only way out of the great red diamond. Brule Lake that he wouldn’t let me plummet Ogre was down. stretched out below, along with to my death. Still, there’s After the first rappel, the occasional passing freight something about dropping however, the next train. The ridge itself seemed to into a wet, rocky unknown that eight became less come up out of nothing. As one makes the heart beat a little bit scary and more faster. I pulled in the thrilling. Joe taught slack and stepped over us to be each other’s the edge. safety nets and we “Going down!” I began to rappel HIGH PLANK // BEFORE RAPELLING DOWN VERTICAL shouted. ourselves without his DROPS, CANYONERS PRACTICED HORIZONTAL HOPS. I tried my best to walk help. We seemed to shrink into the canyon down the wall, but ourselves, Joe lowered us in so as the walls around us grew I lacked Joe’s surewe could enjoy the ride. taller, stretching towards the footedness. In fact, I Sitting on the cliff, about to pale blue roof of a clear day. had the traction of a drop into the powerful cascade, gerbil in a bathtub.

About four rappels in, we hit I was momentarily alone, save After about 30 the highlight of the trip: the for the tugs on my harness. Even seconds of flailing, my infamous Turbo Wash, a highwith an intense harness wedgie feet finally found flat volume and low-temperature and my wet gerbil paws still a canyon floor. One blow waterfall that shoots through far cry from our guide’s aquatic on the whistle meant the route. The rock leading to goat hooves, I’ve never felt so we were on the ground the Turbo Wash is smooth like intrepid. The last time I did and off the line. a slide and curves around a something for the first time? As boulder before dropping down, “Tweet!” a matter of fact, it’s right now. so most of this rappel was Joe rappelled after “Going down!”

NO TURNING BACK // OGRE CANYON IS COMMITTING: out of the sightline from the us, pausing partway ONCE YOU DESCEND PAST A CERTAIN POINT, THE ONLY anchor. Rather than rappelling megan warren // info@thejasperlocal.com WAY OUT IS WITH THE WATER. // SUPPLIED to flip upside-down,

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friday, september 15, 2017 // issue 105 // the jasper local// page

local nutrition //

Sleep Part II: How nutrition and lifestyle can help you get the sleep you need of magnesium include pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, peanut butter, edamame beans, soy nuts, green leafy vegetables, and again our trusty pulses and whole grains.

Welcome back! I hope I convinced you that sleep affects your daily food choices in a BIG way. On the flip side, what you eat can also improve sleep duration and quality. Among other elements of sleep hygiene, choosing foods that impact your brain’s access to tryptophan (an amino acid) and the synthesis of melatonin may be helpful in promoting good sleep.

RECIPE FOR SLEEPY-TIME SNACKS: If you are hungry before bed, have a snack. If you aren’t hungry, don’t. Hunger can keep you up at night and be distracting, but what is likely most important is getting enough of the above nutrients in your meals and snacks throughout the day so that your body can produce serotonin and melatonin when it needs to.

SLEEP ROUTINE Before we jump into some sleepy-time snacks, I want to emphasize just how important it is to have a personalized sleep routine, and to respect it! Try out a few of these sleep-hacks and I bet you will be amazed with the results: • Go to bed at a consistent time every day.

(Yes, even on weekends).

•

Intentionally allot some time to unwind from your busy day and relax. Here’s my favourite sequence: get into comfy clothes, wash-up, dim house lights, climb into cozy pile of pillows on the couch, chat with loved one, read a few pages of nonsense fiction novel, sleep.

• Include a mindfulness practice like yoga, gratitude journaling, meditation or sitting and breathing quietly.

• Write down tomorrow’s to-do list and then FORGET ABOUT IT. • Use your bedroom for intimacy and sleep only.

It is not for working or stressful conversations.

• Make sure the room is dark, the sheets are clean, the temperature is cool, and the noise is white or (if you’re lucky enough) non-existent.

CHOOSE NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS FOR A LATE NIGHT SNACK

• No screen-time for at least an hour before bed.

(Yep, that includes Instagram scrolling).

Eat a bedtime snack about one hour before bed, and make it about the size of your fist (not too big, and not too small). Being uncomfortably full when you go to bed can be distracting too. Avoid caffeinecontaining foods, like chocolate or pop (for obvious reasons).

Choose one protein food and one carbohydrate • Engage in any kind of activity or movement that food to make a tasty and comforting snack. Make gets your heart rate up. Figure out what time of them whole, nutrient-dense foods to maximize your B-vitamins and magnesium intake. Most day works best for you and stick with it. importantly, choose a snack you enjoy that will be satisfying to you.

SLEEP-PROMOTING NUTRITION

Tryptophan is an amino acid found in protein foods that your brain uses to make serotonin and melatonin - two neuroactive compounds linked to sleep. There are also other nutrients that affect the transport of tryptophan to the brain (like carbohydrates), as well as the process of synthesizing serotonin and melatonin (like B-vitamins and magnesium).

Protein-rich foods like dairy, pulses (beans, lentils, chickpeas), meat/fish, eggs, soy, and nuts/ seeds contain the most tryptophan. But, even if you eat enough protein, it is just as important to pair that protein with some carbohydrate to help transport tryptophan into the brain where it is used. Carbohydrate foods, especially whole grains, bananas and sweet potatoes are also a good source of vitamin B6 that is integral for converting tryptophan to serotonin.

Magnesium is a mineral that enhances the secretion of melatonin from the pineal gland – a key step in regulating sleep cycles. Great sources

MY TOP 5 BEDTIME SNACKS: • Hummus + whole grain bagel • Milk + muesli or small bran muffin • Edamame beans + leftover fried brown rice • Cinnamon-dusted brazil nuts + banana • Greek yogurt + ½ cup tart cherry juice (this juice has been mysteriously shown to reduce the time it takes to fall asleep!)

Sleep is complicated. If you are still struggling to get enough despite adjusting your diet, lifestyle and sleep routine, reach out to your doctor to discuss your sleep issues.

Further reading and special thanks for inspiring this article: -Peuhkuri, K., Sihvola, N, & Korpela R. (2012). Diet promotes sleep duration and quality. Nutrition Research, (32), 309-319.

-National Sleep Foundation: https://sleepfoundation.org/

Kirsten Oilund is a registered dietitian and the owner of Jasper Nutrition Counselling. She is an avid runner, boot-camper and adventurer. She has been known to plan an elaborate campfire spread. Email her at kirsten@jasper-nutrition.com

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