The Jasper Local June 15, 2018

a lt e r n at i v e +

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tthejasperlocal.com h e ja s p e r l o ca l .c o m

LOCAL + independent

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friday, may 15, 2015 // issue123 49 friday, june 15, 2018 // ISSUE

Transportation study yields safety recommendations HEALTH AND SAFETY WERE THEMES OF A JUNE 13 TRANSPORTATION MASTER PLAN INFORMATION SESSION—IN A ROUND-ABOUT WAY.

SCRAMBLING SEASON HAS ARRIVED // WILD MOUNTAIN AVEN WERE IN FULL BLOOM FRIDAY, JUNE 8, ATOP CINQUEFOIL MOUNTAIN. // N. COVEY

Presented first to council and later to local stakeholders, the Municipality of Jasper’s Transportation Master Plan (TMP) identified safety concerns; recommended ways of making biking and walking in Jasper easier; suggested creating more efficient parking; and flagged potential public transit options.

Irini Akhnoukh from McElhanny Consulting Services walked about a dozen residents through the main priorities that came out of the report.

“Some are easy to implement,” she suggested, “others will need more study.”

Low-hanging fruit includes trying to guide RVs and large vehicles out of the Commercial Business District. Parking on the

east side of Connaught Drive, rather than the storefront side, is a first step. Moving RVs across the tracks to S-Block to park is a secondary recommendation.

Creating bike lanes on wide boulevards such as Geikie, Connaught and Bonhomme would achieve two goals: reducing speed limits and thus improving safety; and creating more opportunities for “active modes,” she said.

Removing some of the mid-block crosswalks on Connaught is also recommended. As is making those which would remain more visible.

A curveball is at the “interesting” intersection at Miette and Bonhomme.

To fix its blind egresses and “whose-right-of-wayis-it? geometry, Akhnoukh said the whole thing should be reconstructed.

A football-shaped round-about perhaps?

The problem is adjacent’ parking options.

“We need a deeper conversation,” she said.

To see the study, go to www.jasper-alberta.com

b. covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page A2 // the jasper local // issue 123 // friday, june 15, 2018

editorial //

Local Vocal A FEW MILES EAST OF TOWN, UP THE JACQUES CREEK DRAINAGE, THERE IS A GREY ROCK BAND ON THE NORTHWEST SIDE OF CINQUEFOIL MOUNTAIN. It’s in the

subalpine and it’s fairly nondescript. Unless you’re making your way to the Alpine Club of Canada hut on Mount Colin, you’d hardly notice it.

But local fire fighters know the spot well. Parks Canada Initial Attack Fire Crew members spent more than a week there during the winter of 2008, holed up in a wall tent, monitoring the prescribed burns that eventually helped restore more than 330 hectares of open, montane grasslands, contributed to future wildfire control and assisted in efforts to slow the eastward spread of mountain pine beetle. Later that same winter, they were taking shelter from nasty December winds during another prescribed burn along the Celestine Lake Road, near the aptly named Windy Point.

That was 10 years ago. I remember in 2006 being introduced to the concept of Firesmart by local fire and vegetation specialists. At the time, work was focused around Lake Edith and the Sawridge Hotel.

If you hike up the Pyramid Bench towards Cabin Lake, you can see the Jasper Community Fireguard, an area cleared of vegetation to provide a fuel break and a line of defence from which crews can carry out actions to control a wildfire. Parks Canada’s fire crew has maintained this barrier through manual forest thinning since 2004. And while it’s true that scheduled mechanized forest thinning did not get completed last fall and that there may be a case to be made that Parks Canada should have pulled the trigger while the short weather window allowed it, mechanical thinning has been creating conditions for safer, more efficient prescribed fires on the Pyramid Bench for most of the past decade.

It seems to me—a layperson, at best—that, contrary to the shouts on local social media and even in regional mainstream coverage, progressive, science-based forest management as it relates to wildfires has been actively taking place in Jasper National Park for a very long time. While it’s easy to look at the “matchstick” forest which surrounds us and imagine the worst, it’s important to remember Jasper has always been a community surrounded by flammable timber and that local experts have every summer had little else on their mind than ensuring we have a proper response plan in place, one which scales up or down depending on forest conditions.

It’s also useful to consider that in British Columbia, where fires have caused evacuations of entire

communities, those communities still stand and thrive today. Vanderhoof had a 10,000 hectare fire in 2004; 14 years later it is not a ghost town. Last year was a record fire year in B.C. While it was certainly traumatic for those communities affected, the big takeaway for emergency response officials is that no lives were lost due to the wildfires.

These are significant counterpoints to the sky-is-falling mentality we’re easily duped by thanks to social media and a few “experts” being quoted in the news. For the record, forest professionals are not wildfire specialists. Their opinions should only carry so much water.

So douse those anxieties about having to inevitably return to a burned out shell of a town. Cool those heels in the fact that Jasper has an entire suite of response mechanisms to manage the threat of wildfires.

That’s not to say don’t be prepared if the worst does happen—quite the opposite, in fact. It is absolutely critical that each of us are Wildfire Ready. If you’re reading this paper, the information is literally at your fingertips.

Because being prepared is much different than being scared. Just ask any of your fire fighter friends. 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

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Email us today...........................................................................ads@thejasperlocal.com cartoonist

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// Local politics

friday, june 15, 2018 // issue 123 // the jasper local// page A3

MARIE-FRANCE MIRON URGED COUNCIL TO HOST A SECOND WILDFIRE INFORMATION SESSION. SHE HAS CONCERNS ABOUT THE COMMUNITY’S WILDFIRE RISK. // BOB COVEY

Council hears wildfire concerns, considers second info session doused the idea that nothing has been done in the way of wildfire protection.

“Firesmart work has been taking place for years,” councillor Scott Wilson, who chaired the meeting, suggested.

Mayor Richard Ireland said the municipalMarie-France Miron has been vocal in ity has an emergency response plan which her stance that Parks Canada needs to be has been reviewed and approved by the doing more to protect the community of provincial government.

Jasper from the threat of a wildfire. On “But if it takes another public meeting June 12, she attended Jasper’s committo allow residents an additional level of tee of the whole meeting to encourage comfort—without diminishing the fact that town politicians and administrators to they had better be prepared…I will support conduct a second Wildfire Ready information session to help put her‚ and other an effort to have another public meeting.”

Miron said she has no concerns that the residents, at ease. municipality is properly prepared.

“I’m grateful for the May 7 session but I feel not everybody got all the information She said she would be pleased to see another evening session move forward. they should have that evening,” she said.

Miron has called out Parks Canada super- Councillor Paul Butler suggested an intendent Alan Fehr and former Resource information session is not the best way to disseminate information.

Conservation Manager Sal Rasheed, who “In an age of social media and intercreated the 2016 Mountain Pine Beetle Strategy, to “do better” at giving residents net communications I don’t know it’s the best way, but it is a way and I’m in and visitors information on evacuation procedures. She has suggested assembling favour of supporting it,” he said. a panel to discuss opportunities to harvest Councillor Wilson said the informaand remove dead timber as a result of pine tion is out there.

“I’m a bit reserved in supporting beetle kill.

“What actions can we take now to protect another information centre,” he said.

“The onus is on [the public] to be our town?” Miron asked council. prepared.”

Council was open to the idea of hosting a second public information session but bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com A resident concerned for the impending safety of this community has taken her call to action to Jasper municipal council.

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page B1 // the jasper local // issue 123 // june 15, 2018

KNOW THE RISKS. MAKE A PLAN. GET A KIT.

WILDFIRE SEASON IS HERE.

EVACUATION ALERTS AND ORDERS

Are you and your family ready?

KNOW THE RISKS In recent years, mountain pine beetles have killed thousands of trees around Jasper, increasing the wildfire risk to our community.

In the event of a large wildfire, first responders will be busy fighting the fire. You should be ready to get out of Jasper and look after yourself and your family for at least 72 hours.

MAKE A PLAN Get together with your family, make an emergency plan and make sure everyone understands what would happen and what to do in the event of a major emergency.

A basic emergency plan should include: • Safe exits from your home and neighbourhood; • A designated meeting location outside Jasper in case you get separated; • A designated person to pick up children at school or daycare if you’re not available; • An out-of-town contact person to act as a point of contact for your family – remember that cell phone and the internet access may be limited during an emergency; • Health insurance information; and • An evacuation plan for pets and large animals like horses.

If you need help to get out of your home, work with family, friends or Community Outreach Services to make a plan. Call 780-852-2100 or drop by 627 Patricia Street, M-F, 9 to 4:30pm.

Know where to get accurate information Go to www.jasper-alberta.com and sign up to receive emergency alerts by text or email.

The Municipality of Jasper will issue two kinds of notices. Know the difference!

EVACUATION ALERT An Evacuation Alert tells people to prepare for an evacuation. If you are ready to go and can evacuate early, please do so.

EVACUATION ORDER An Evacuation Order tells people to evacuate immediately. This may happen in circumstances where there is little or no time to notify, or following an Evacuation Alert.

If a wildfire is in progress but no evacuation is required, information updates will be provided.

GET A KIT Put together an emergency kit and keep it somewhere easy to get if you have to evacuate.

GAS

Keep a full tank of gas in your vehicle at all times.

Items to take with you if you have to evacuate: Wallet: identification, credit cards and cash Cell phone and charger Glasses and contacts Medications A three-day supply of water and food per person Copy of your emergency plan, including emergency contact numbers Copies of important documents (birth certificates, passports, insurance and bank records) Pet food and water

Visit getprepared.ca and

Download the Alberta Emergency Alert app www.jasper-alberta.com on your phone and set your location to Jasper. for more information and Check the Municipality of Jasper and Jasper National Park websites and social media feeds.

If you don’t use the internet, turn on the radio or call 780-852-3311.

resources, or get a copy of the Municipality of Jasper Evacuation Guide at municipal facilities.

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local news //

friday, june 15, 2018 // issue 123 // the jasper local// page B2

New settlement services worker will help newcomers transition to Jasper Settling in Jasper just got a what makes lot easier for newcomers to Jasper a community,” Canada.

The Jasper Community Team has hired Rola Aldakhil as Jasper’s first Settlement Services Worker. The post is a major step forward into improving settlement and integration outcomes in Jasper, according to the coordinator of the Jasper Immigration Coalition, Doug Olthof.

“Rola will be working with newcomers in our community to ensure that they make a smooth transition to life in Jasper,” Olthof said. “We are thrilled to have her on board.”

Not long ago, Aldakhil was a newcomer herself.

Originally from war-torn Syria, her acclimatization to this community was made much easier, she said, thanks to a supportive group of Jasperites who helped set her family up for success.

“I felt Jasper was my home from the first second I came here,” she said.

Now Aldakhil wants to help other new Canadians feel the same way.

The funding for the settlement services position comes from Immigration Refugees and Citizenship Canada, a federal program which at its core provides services for newcomers to help them understand life in their adopted communities and connect them to the services and supports they need to make connections there. At Jasper Community and Family Services, that might mean introducing new Jasperites to the Canadian tax system, acquainting immigrants with different cultural, social and political spheres or simply informing them of opportunities to go on a hike or take in a community dinner.

“It’s about finding ways to get involved with

Olthof said.

For many new Canadians, the language barrier can be a huge hurdle—certainly it was for Aldakhil, who was a relatively quick study thanks again to the Jasperites who //Rola Aldakhil is Jasper’s first settlement services worker. Douglas Olthof welcomed her is the Jasper immigration coalition’s coordinator. // bob Covey and her family pins mark countries across the ocean. of five, she said.

“I always like to repeat the theme that Jasper But many other barriers exist, too. Familiarizing has always been an immigrant community,” herself with the culture of Alberta’s school sysOlthof said. tem was a big learning curve, Aldakhil said.

That means, theoretically, there will be plenty “In our homeland there is a difference between of people who will benefit from the hiring of a how families and schools make decisions about settlement services worker. the children,” she said.

For Aldakhil, she hopes she can help people For Jasperites whose families have been in feel as settled as she has. this country for generations, it’s easy to take “I know that maybe they have lost everything,” for granted the cultural and social nuances of she said. “I understand what the people feel Canadian society. But more and more, those when everything changes. The best thing for me assumptions are being checked during school would be to see the people have a stable life.” registration. According to Statistics Canada’s To get acquainted with Jasper’s Settlement 2016 long form census, 21.5 per cent of Jasper Services, visit Community Outreach residents were born outside of Canada (i.e. are first-generation Canadians). A map of the world Services at 627 Patricia Street or email settlement@jaspercommunityteam.ca to hanging in Aldakhil’s office demonstrates this connect with Aldakhil. point neatly: pins in the map indicate where Jasper student’s parents were born; most of the Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page B3 // the jasper local // issue 123 // june 15, 2018

local adventure //

Jasper cyclist pushing her limits in world’s longest self-supported bike race Certainly what makes the Trans Am so hard is the distance, the terrain and the weather, but the real grind is the fact that any type of support is not allowed. No drafting, no food drops, no resting in the family RV. Arcand said the rules mean it can be hard to find good nutrition and accommodations, but also that the participants form a close bond.

After stopping to set up camp on night one, one of her “I’ve been having a blast,” she said. “Everyfellow Trans American Bike Racers asked her what her body is so positive.” longest ride had been. After calculating her distance Not that she hasn’t gone through her fair from the start of the race to that point (approximately share of discomfort. A swollen knee limits her 230 kilometres), Arcand had her answer. pace; she recalled with a shudder her experi“My longest ride ever was today,” she replied. ence sleeping in a Yellowstone National Park That was on June 2. The 29-year-old Jasper cyclist has bathroom when freezing weather outmatched been going strong ever since, logging an average of her bivy sack; and don’t even talk about 220 kilometres per day in her first ever cycling event. saddle sores.

The Trans Am is the longest self-supported cycling “My butt is not in a good place,” she laughed. race in the world. Much of the field That’s been the consists of sponsored athletes. key—laughing.

For Arcand, she simply wanted to see Arcand’s elder how far she could push herself.

“When you’re having sister, Jasper’s “Anybody can do it if I can do it,” she Marie-Andrée a bad day you have to said via Facebook Messenger at 3 p.m.

Arcand, said the cheer yourself on.” while travelling at a steady 31.5 km/hr in optimistic vibes the Wyoming desert. her sibling has Maybe not anybody. Only about half been putting out of Trans Am Race participants finish have been nothin any given year (the inaugural race was in 2014). ing short of inspiring.

Already more than one in five riders this year have “I’m so proud of her,” Marie-Andrée said. “She dropped out. can laugh about anything.”

Geneviève says it’s a deliberate strategy. She said being all alone, she can be either her own worst enemy or her biggest supporter.

“When you’re having a bad day you have to cheer yourself on,” she said.

Although at times, others join in. Her spirits were lifted in Oregon when, after a particularly gruelling hill, she got to the top to find a gathering of “dot-watchers”—Trans Am enthusiasts—cheering her on, screaming her name and ringing cowbells. They had prepared a spread of food to intercept the riders with.

“It was heaven,” she said.

On the flip side, being in the middle of the pack has meant that occasionally, in the remote towns along the Trans America Bike Trail, convenience stores and restaurants have been completely cleaned out of food by the riders who arrived before her.

“Those are the times you realize what a men-

From the very beginning of her planned 6,700 km bike adventure across the continental United States, Geneviève Arcand was pushing her limits.

tal challenge it is.”

In the end, perspective is everything, she said.

“You need to love pain and be a bit crazy, but you realize at the end of the day we’re just riding bikes.”

For her sister Marie-Andrée, who is among the many Jasper “dot-watchers,” from what she’s seen of her younger sibling so far, she knows Arcand can go the distance if she has the opportunity.

“If she puts her mind to it, I know she can do it.”

Follow Arcand’s progress at trackleaders.com Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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local education //

friday, june 15, 2018 // issue 123 // the jasper local// page B4

Lone graduate proficient in the solo arts and athletics THE PERFECT DAY, FOR PASCALE ROBINSON, WOULD BE A LONG HIKE WITH HER DAD, CAPTURING A FEW NICE PHOTOS WHEN THE LIGHT IS JUST RIGHT, THEN PAINTING A RENDERING OF WHAT HER LENS CAPTURED ON CANVAS.

Athletics, family, art. It seems pretty simple, when you put it that way. But for 18-year-old Robinson, the sole graduate of the École Desrochers’ Class of 2018, she seems to have a pretty good handle on what she wants out of life—generally, that is.

“I’m looking forward to meeting more people in the artistic community,” “I want to do something that involves art,” the recipient of the 2018 Jasper Film Club Scholarship said. “I could end up making clothes or editing a magazine— just something artistic.”

It would seem that won’t be an issue with Robinson. Even as a preschooler, she was practicing

the craft that has made her a shining star of Jasper’s art community. These days, when she’s not studying for exams, playing piano or distance swimming, she spends up to 12 hours a week with a paintbrush in her hands.

“It takes patience,” she said of her fine art discipline.

“And focus.”

So does graduating high school. Now that she has that behind her, Robinson is excited for the future. In the fall, she’ll enter the Bachelor of Fine Art and Design program at the University of Alberta.

“I’m looking forward to meeting more people in the artistic community,” she said.

Certainly she’s made an impression on the Jasper art scene. Her work has been featured through the Jasper Artists Guild. Fellow artist and JAG member Diana Ward, who, along with dozens of dignitaries, parents, teachers and students celebrated Robinson’s graduation June 8, described the young artist as prolific.

“She’s an amazing talent, multidisciplined,” Ward said.

And calm. Robinson credits her even-keeled demeanour not to genetics (“sorry, dad”) but to her practices. Swimming, painting and playing piano all promote a meditative state of mind, she said.

Swimming—a sport which she hopes to go out for when she lands at the UofA in September— in particular, helps clear her head.

“You can’t think of anything else except breathing,” she said.

When she’s not in the pool,

however, after diplomas and until the fall semester comes, she’ll be more focused on getting those perfect days in: those days that involve athletics, family and art.

“A well-rounded day,” she said.

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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issue 123 // june 15, 2018

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local wildlife //

page B5 // the jasper local // issue 123 // Friday, June 15, 2018

Encounters of the furry

Simone Heinrich photos

Recently, Simone Heinrich found herself up close and personal with a family of grizzly bears.

Well not too close and personal. She has a massive zoom lens. Either way, The Jasper Local’s go-to-gal for stealth wildlife photography has once again produced stunning images of baby bears who are just finding their feet.

Unlike teeny weeny black bears (recall our last edition), grizzly cubs don’t climb trees, Heinrich has learned.

“Their defence mechanism is to stay close to mom and on the ground,” she said. “Although they often stand up on their hind legs to get a better view of what is going on.”

Thanks to Simone, we all now have a better view of what’s going on in a bear’s first few weeks in their

wild world. For the safety of the bears, we aren’t disclosing the location where Heinrich took these shots. And, well, if we’re being totally honest, we’re also paying respect to the fact that Simone has been at this game for years now and we want to honour the time and effort it takes to scout, track and take photos of these magnificent creatures in a way that doesn’t disrupt them.

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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local wildlife//

friday, June 15, 2018 // issue 123 // the jasper local// page B6

kind: grizzly cub capture

friday, june 15, 2018 // issue 123 //

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page b7 // the jasper local // issue 123 // friday, june 15, 2018 issue 123 // june 15, 2018

local feature //

It was always about

IT WAS 1993. MAY. THE ALMOST TWO-MONTH LONG SIEGE AT WACO TEXAS HAD JUST ENDED IN TERRIBLE MASSACRE; THE SIEGE OF SARAJEVO BY THE BOSNIAN SERBS WAS INTO ITS SECOND YEAR. The following month would see TVs final episode of Cheers and rave reviews for blockbuster movie Jurassic Park.

There was no fanfare for us, however, as we stuttered into town broken and beat in an old Ford Tempo hardly running. I’d lost my wife (Liam’s Mum) to cancer, my five bedroom house in BC, and the wolves had eaten my dog.

That summer Liam and I rented a bedroom in Wes and Nevada’s apartment—and got a real education. We watched the brothers respoking bike wheels on the living room floor; tuning up a Cannondale, hearing about Gary Fisher bikes and Manitou suspension forks, clipon pedals and trails to ride around town. Bikes got fixed to U2’s The Joshua Tree—With Or Without You; I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For (my signature tune still)—and Leonard Cohen’s Closing Time and Democracy. Wow! Heavy stuff those early Nineties. A time when you could do the amazing Ho-Chi-Min and Bike Toss trails and take your dog wherever you liked. Wood for campfires was free and you could find Freewheel

//Dave Harrap still has the rocky mountain blizzard -- complete with fitted amp forks. he r this bike with son Liam on the back all over Jasper National Park trails. // Bob Covey

Cycle next to the old Husky station on Patricia.

Lycra cycle gloves, wearing yellow

Gunner was the mechanic. Dave was there. Steve.

and black high-performance Shima

And Dale had his hole-in-the-wall Gravity Gear with a

cycle shoes clipped into my SPD pe

mickey-mouse climbing wall and a mat-

system, athwart my Rocky Mountai

tress on the floor. Liam and I would go

charger. If my 100% polyester Sugo

there every day, visiting, hearing about

been yellow instead of plum-purple

bikes and trails, trying on Lycra shorts

victory laps round town with flowe

and flashy jerseys, imagining. Then one

neck and applause and cheers ring

afternoon Dave let me take some bikes

it was I got “Cool bike!” “Wow! Am

for test runs, while Liam fell on his head

them before! Must be the only bike

making deft moves on Dale’s wall.

How do they ride?”

But not just any old bikes: Rocky Moun-

“They ride my friend, let me tell yo

tain bikes.

ing gazes we would do another lap

I tested the Blizzard, the Fusion, and

Triomphe. It didn’t seem to matter

the Hammer up Trail 2. I settled on

kid, suitably attired in ladies’ gear (

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the fellow doing the pump-

hard-co

“Look at that silly old fart dressed up like he’s in the Tour de France. Shouldn’t be allowed on the streets if you ask me.”

ing was up for it. Gunner 5:30pm-7pm flights to June 21. trimmed down the headset 6:30pm-8pm flights after June 21. and fitted Amp forks, the Advance online bookings only second lightest suspension forks next to the Manitou in the whole wide world, or so I was told. For the first time in my life I owned transportation that attracted admiring whistles and comments.

Decked out from Freewheel I was now King of the Road, flashing down Main Street in my synthetic ultrasuede chamois jet-black Pearlizumi cycle shorts, gripping handlebars with hands incased in pink (shows off suntanned arms best)

JasperSkyTram.com

back th

was plo

wheel, t

busy oo

my mac

We

next ye

out and

Then nobody gave us a second gla

“Look at that silly old fart dressed u

Tour de France. Shouldn’t be allowe

you ask me.” Although I still got en

Amp forks. Apparently, they weren

more, they were becoming museum owner.

We rode Bike Toss, The-Ho-Chi-M

The Valley of the Five, The Palisad

Overlander, I was building up my c

they were getting more admiring g

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page b8 // the jasper local // issue 123 // friday, june 15, 2018 friday, june 15, 2018 // issue 123 //

t more than the bike

rode

ano

// Jamie the mechanic at your service. Freewheel cycle was the start point of many jasperite’s adventures in the mountains. // supplied

edal

in

oi cycle jersey had

e, I could have done r wreaths around my

ging in my ears. As

mp forks, never seen

e in town with them.

ou!” And to admiraround the Arc de that a three-year-old

(you couldn’t find

ore stuff for little kids

hen) from Freewheel,

onked over the back

the audience was too

oh-ing and aah-ing at

chine.

ell that all lasted till

ear’s models came

d everyone upgraded.

ance, unless it was

up like he’s in the

ed on the streets if

nquiries about the

I wore my cap backwards that year, not because of a mid-life crisis but rather to identify with “the boys”.

My mother would have been appalled—“Mutton dressed as lamb”, she would have said.

I rode and rode that summer, burning off the pain I suppose, and always with my coxswain on the back of the bike: “DAD! I SAID TURN HERE!” A two-dollar child seat from a junk shop had changed my life. I no longer had to stay within the bounds of a little boy’s walking ability. As long as I could pedal, we had the freedom of the hills to go to impossible places together. We had picnics by secret lakes and hidden creeks, we watched marmots and pikas when we pedaled to the land above the trees, we saw squirrels and bears and Indian Paintbrush. We sped like Mongolian horsemen down trails, sometimes wiping out because of going so fast.

We spent hours and hours goofing around at Freewheel Cycle. Visiting. Talking with the guys. Listening.

Hearing their advice. They were all so friendly to a beaten old man and his little boy. If it was a bike seat on the back of a bike that launched our mountain careers, then it was a Rocky Mountain Blizzard from the guys at Freewheel that got us rolling.

n’t making them any

m curiosities—like the

Min, Signal Mountain,

des, Death Wall, The

calf muscles until

glances than the bike.

Dave Harrap // info@thejasperlocal.com

Jasper’s David Harrap is the author of The Littlest Hiker in the Canadian Rockies. In 1993 he tested and settled on the Rocky Mountain Blizzard. In subsequent seasons in Jasper, Rocky Mountain blizzards have tested and settled on him.

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page B9 // the jasper local // issue 123 // june 15, 2018

local business //

New bike shop owner hopes to find his niche Randall Riddell is back behind The Bench.

The husband, father of two, musician, sound engineer and bike mechanic can now add entrepreneur to his CV. He opened up The Bench Bike Shop on June 8 in the 606 Patricia space where Freewheel Cycle turned its final wrenches. Like the outpouring of support shown for the outgoing owners, Riddell said the reception from the community for his new enterprise has been nothing short of amazing.

“It’s really heartwarming,” he said. “Lots of locals have been stopping in to say hi.”

Saying goodbye to Freewheel was hard for Jasper—and for

“Chris and Wendy provided a wealth of knowledge and were so helpful to me as I learned more about being a mechanic.”

Riddell, too. He had been one of Freewheel’s mechanics when the beloved shop closed its doors.

That taste of being part of a community bike shop was one of

the main reasons he wanted to make a go at a new business.

“I just wanted to keep doing it,” he said. “We crunched some numbers and said … ‘maybe?’”

When he learned he could purchase Freewheel’s former rental fleet and Community Futures West Yellowhead endorsed his business plan, that maybe turned into “I Randall Riddell has opened The Bench Bike Shop in the space formerly occupied By guess we’re doing Freewheel cycle. He has been encouraged by Jasper’s warm welcome. // Bob Covey this!” Riddell is hopeful he can their idiosyncratic features. One name of your shop,’” Riddell said. find his niche as model was made for cross-country Riddell said all the community a boutique shop specializing in support has been gratifying, since unique rides. Kona Bikes, founded touring. Another was a “roadplus” bike, “multi-purpose and that’s what his biggest takeaway in 1988 in Vancouver, has come multi-surface.” was after working for Freewheel. on board as the main supplier for “I’m a bit eccentric,” the year“I would have never been able The Bench. round fat bike rider laughed. to open this without having “They’re such a fun brand,” “Each of these bikes is quite worked for them,” he said. “Chris Riddell said. “They take cool risks unique.” and Wendy provided a wealth of with their bikes.”

The same can be said for The knowledge and were so helpful to The Bench had a somewhat Bench’s bench, a gorgeous slab of me as I learned more about being spartan feel to it a week after beetle-killed pine hand hewn by a mechanic.” opening day, but those bikes local builder Kris Beeby.

And now he’s ready to learn more that were on the showroom floor “He said ‘you better have a nice about being a business owner. were handpicked by Riddell for bench, considering that’s the Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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friday, june 15, 2018 // issue 123 //the jasper local// page B10

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page B11 // the jasper local // issue 123 // june 15, 2018

local art //

Spirit surgeons bringing new energy to Jasper’s downtown

Margo Bereska and Ian Sheldon want to let the light in.

The Jasper couple have opened the doors to their new studio, Heartspace, where Bereska, a clairvoyant medium and energy therapist, and Sheldon, an acclaimed artist and shamanic healer, want to help service their clients’ spiritual needs.

“We go to the eye doctor to get our eyes checked, the dentist to clean our teeth, this is like tuning up your body’s emotional spirit,” Bereska said.

While Heartspace is the couple’s first joint business venture, the two have been each other’s spiritual mentors for years.

Bereska helped push Sheldon to embrace his intuitions and

take a deep dive into the psychic world—not a small leap for a man with science degrees from Cambridge and the University of Alberta. Meanwhile, Sheldon’s own healing skills and spiritual knowledge have helped Bereska

“We go to the eye doctor to get our eyes checked, the dentist to clean our teeth, this is like tuning up your body’s emotional spirit.”

reconnect to her inner light and come back to the place where she grew up.

“Jasper is potent,” she said. “It has this magnetic pull. That’s

something you can feel.”

You can see it too, if you climb the stairs at 610 Connaught Drive, where Heartspace will have its first open house on June 19 (5-8 p.m.). The space was originally designed as a photography studio and as such features large skylights— perfect for not only showcasing Sheldon’s striking watercolours but giving him plenty of natural light to paint under.

However, as gratifying as that is for the career artist, it’s the light that’s inside his clients, rather than overhead, that Sheldon is most interested in. His speciality is colour meditation— fitting, perhaps, with all his years working as a professional artist.

In a typical session, Sheldon guides his clients through their seven major chakras. By embarking on a meditative cleanse, Sheldon is given insight into his clients’ injuries, energy blocks and healing needs.

“I’m kind of the garbage collector of the soul,” Sheldon laughed.

“I collect it and clean it through sharing.”

If Sheldon is the collector, Bereska is the distributor. Like a crystal refracting light, she is seemingly able to bend cosmic energy so that her clients feel connected to a deeper psychic realm. Dozens of testimonials

on her website assert Bereska’s spiritual guidance helps people make major life changes.

“When you are balanced and standing in your own power, you are activated into your highest soul potential,” she says.

Of course for some folks, the idea of awakening one’s spirit or going for an energy “tune-up” is a big reach. But that’s one more reason why Bereska and Sheldon are excited to let the light in.

“We’re here, we’re ready go connect,” Bereska says.

Let the healing begin.

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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local scenes //

friday, june 15, 2018 // issue 123 // the jasper local// page B12

Volunteers at the Jasper Gran fono // bob Covey

Summer Snapshots

Jakob Druar gets meditative // kathy radmore

Brigid Scott// insta: rockymountainscrambler

Brett Hauge and Lucas Habib take a trail break // bc

Tomas kulaja// insta: tomas. kulaja

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page B13 // the jasper local // issue 123 // june 15, 2018

local climbing/

Local rock climber looking to bolster bolt fund Francois Laplante likes putting up new rock climbing routes in Jasper National Park.

But he needs a bit of help.

Laplante is the author of Northern Exposure, the 2016 guidebook that has led to an explosion of interest in the world class rock and alpine opportunities available to climbers here. Since the book launched, more than five multi pitch sport climbs have been added to the canon—and there are more in the works.

“I’m not done yet,” he said with a smile.

But as much as Laplante likes discovering new rock routes, developing them can get expensive. The bolts and hangers—permanently affixed hardware that climbers use to protect themselves in case of a fall— cost money. It’s money Laplante hopes can be raised within the local and regional climbing community.

“I’m keen to develop more routes but of course it’s expensive,” Laplante said.

A typical sport route can have upwards of 12 pitches to climb. With each pitch requiring somewhere between six and 14 bolts to safety protect a climber, and a bolthanger combination ringing in at $6 a pop, an ambitious route can cost up to $120 to develop, plus the cost of anchor materials. Laplante is hoping his // Unbelay-vable: This wellworn anchor at the Rock fellow climbGardens has been replaced

//Frank Laplante is encouraging local climbers to pitch in to a rock bolt fund. Laplante is the author of Northern Exposure and is keen to develop new routes in Jasper // Bob Covey

ers will feel compelled to pitch in.

“This is a way to give back to the community,” he said.

“It benefits everyone.”

The bolt fund won’t just go towards new routes, money will be earmarked to replace old hardware, the safety of which is becoming more questionable with every passing year. A recent plea from a climber at the popular crag Rock Gardens has resulted in replacement anchors on A Climb For Carolyn, a well-loved sport route rated at 5.8. Laplante said all over the park there’s lots of gear in similar states of deterioration.

“They’re total safety hazards,” he said.

So it’s a big job, which is why he’s hoping for a big re-

““

sponse. But Laplante is up for the challenge. With the publication of Northern Exposure, Laplante proved he can break down a complex project and focus on each task as it comes to him.

In fact, it’s not unlike the development of a new climbing route: get a sense of the big picture, then approach each problem as a single challenge.

“I want to make Jasper National Park famous for the world class climbing that I know it has,” he said.

One bolt at a time.

Donate to the Jasper Bolt Fund at: www.gofundme.com/jasperrockclimbingboltfund Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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local science //

friday, june 15, 2018 // issue 123 // THe jasper local// page B14

A complex, changing landscape requires an evolving, nuanced response The landscape of Jasper National Park is changing.

Most noticeably, it’s changing because of the red tinge of mountain pine beetle infected trees that first showed its face before we left the Rockies more than a decade ago.

Efforts in British Columbia and Mount Robson to stop mountain pine beetle or slow its spread haven’t been successful and realistically, never could be.

Climate change and decades of fire suppression are probably partly responsible for the speed and extent of the spread, but like it or not, forest insects like the mountain pine beetle and Douglas fir beetle have been around for a long time.

Jasper’s forests, along with most forests in this part of Canada, are due for some type of major disturbance.

After all, when you look closely at places like the slopes of Signal Mountain, you see the subtle shades of green that define the boundaries of large, contiguous stands of even-age lodgepole pine that themselves are the result of high-intensity crown fires that dominated the park landscape in 1888 and 1889, long before modern fire suppression had any influence on the forest mosaic. In those two years, more than 25 per cent of Jasper’s forested area burned.

Interspersed among those stands are older trees that have survived for centuries, giving the montane of Jasper a fire history first described in detail by Jerry Tande 40 years ago, and dating back to at least 1665.

It is a complex landscape.

And simply put, it will either burn, or be subjected to some other natural disturbance process like we’re now seeing with the mountain pine beetle.

Natural processes such as fire, insects and disease are the underlying mechanism of change in natural systems and in a national park, they are given priority, in order to allow ecosystems to operate and evolve with minimal interference from us.

The challenge of course in a national park like Jasper, is how to allow natural processes to run their course while at the same time protecting people and property?

Preferably, from a strictly protected areas perspective, the town of Jasper wouldn’t be located inside the national park. Our activities and our infrastructure constantly put pressure on the other species and habitats the park is meant to protect.

First and foremost, the park is a protected area, recognized nationally and globally for its intrinsic values.

Because of this, natural disturbance agents like fire, insect and disease are, as much as is reasonably possible, given free rein to do what they have always done.

Is there a risk associated with letting that happen? Absolutely. Are there ways to mitigate the risk to people and property? Absolutely.

Is there a way to eliminate the risk? No. Risk is a part of everything we do.

The challenge for people living in the fire-prone forests that dominate all of northern Canada this side of the treeline, is to find a level of risk they can live with.

Living in fire-prone forests inside a national park is a

//Pine Beetle Pitches on a tree west of Jasper. Mountain pine beetle will run its course and fire will always play a role on the landscape, says author George Mercer. // Doug olthof

little more challenging, because there are other objectives at play.

Ultimately, it comes down to maintaining naturally-occurring processes but doing it in a way that minimizes risk to people and property.

The challenge for park managers and field staff along with the residents of the town of Jasper is to find that balance.

Like every national park in the country, Jasper is blessed with dedicated, hard-working staff trying to work first and foremost for the values our national parks were set aside to protect.

Mountain pine beetle and fire make that job hugely challenging.

But these are natural disturbance agents that have a role to play, especially inside a national park, and despite some people’s wishes to the contrary, they will continue to play a role.

Yes, that role may be exacerbated or intensified by climate change and a history of fire suppression.

But the climate’s been changing forever.

And large, stand-replacing fires were a reality on the Jasper landscape long before modern-day fire suppression had any effect.

Still, even before my family and I moved to Jasper in the early 1990s, park staff were recognizing those factors and trying to reintroduce fire to the landscape, to restore a natural process as well as replicate the role of Indigenous fire—and also minimizing the risk to people and property.

Putting fire back on the landscape is not an easy job, and not without its own risks. Doing it now, with changing forest conditions, makes it even more complicated.

Cutting forests to create fire breaks, and building guards to protect people and property and from which to anchor prescribed burns, is not ideal. But it is a compromise necessitated by having a town in the middle of the park.

If the town and all its ancillary infrastructure as well as outlying commercial accommodation and so on weren’t there, it would be a different story.

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But these human developments are there.

Finding a reasonable course of action that protects park values as much as possible, while also protecting people and their property, is the big challenge.

Following through with that course of action might be an even bigger one.

At the end of the day, I do not want to see a massive logging program occur in Jasper National Park (especially not to improve views, as I’ve heard some people suggest!). I do not want the voices of registered professional foresters and commercial forestry interests to drown out the voices of protected areas managers and field staff who work so hard to protect one of Canada’s most special places.

I would like to see the community of Jasper do what it has done so well in the past, and rally around this issue, and work with Parks Canada to come up with a reasonable course of action that mitigates as many of the actual risks as possible while still protecting park values, people and their property.

Mountain pine beetle will run its course.

Other insects and disease will come and go.

Fire will continue to play a role.

Jasper’s landscape will change and continue to do so long after we’re gone.

How we respond now will influence to some extent what that landscape looks like, but for me, and I hope others, the main thing is to put park values at the forefront and protect them in a way that reduces as much as is practical, the risk to people’s lives and their property.

George Mercer // info@thejasperlocal.com Former National Park Warden and JNP Wildlife Specialist George Mercer is the author of Dyed in the Green, the first fiction series about Canada’s iconic national parks. He lives on Vancouver Island.