ALTERNATIVE +
LOCAL + INDEPENDENT
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020 // ISSUE 177
BLIZZARD WIZARD // Jasper’s David Harrap working up an appetite, enroute to the biggest backcountry feast imaginable. Read about the annual Turkey Trot in Harrap’s feature story, on pages B3-B4. // CHRIS KOO
thejasperlocal.com
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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 177 // SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020
EDITORIAL //
Local Vocal Signs, signs, everywhere a sign. Can we talk about the new signs that adorn the east and west entrances of our town? “Adorn” might not actually be the right word— that term usually applies to things which make something more attractive. Regretfully, Jasper’s new entrance signs do the opposite—like giving Beyoncé a bowl cut. These shiny new guideposts are the limp handshakes of greeting signs, the equivalent of welcoming guests to our home with a stale fruitcake. Well meaning, perhaps, but awkward and lifeless. Glendon, Alberta, which has a three storey-high pierogi to introduce folks to town, can’t believe how bland our new signs are. This isn’t just the jerk newspaper columnist doing his snarky thing to get a rise. Similar thoughts are being expressed in the not-so-sacrosanct theatres of social media (check out @Jasper_Local_Memes on Instagram for a particularly searing roast) and around the tables of local watering holes. Estelle Blanchette, a bona fide marketing professional who, refreshingly, is rarely afraid to let politeness hold her tongue, told The Jasper Local in no uncertain terms that she and her colleagues are “pissed” that these signs ever saw the light of day. While today Blanchette is an independent business owner, in 2016 she was part of the Tourism Jasper team that helped rebrand Jasper’s “Wonderful, By Nature” tagline to “Venture Beyond”—a campaign that came with its own fair share of criticism, but one which was ultimately ratified by the community. That process was months-long, she said, and included plenty of cues for local decision-makers to get onboard with the visual identity that was being pitched as the way forward for Jasper. There was even a specific session dedicated to the concept of new entrance signage. To have gone through all that, and then to see the final, impotent results being erected, has been extremely frustrating, Blanchette said. This all begs the question, of course: who actually signed off on these signs? Who agreed on the electric green and baby blue colour palatte? Who said that humdrum font was just the ticket? What, was Comic Sans unavailable? Turns out, the initiative was part of Jasper’s Transportation Master Plan development process, but considering the signs were installed as part of a way-finding initiative, it was ironic that when we asked the MOJ who exactly was around the table to vote yes to such an obvious nope!, we couldn’t get
clear direction. To me, it doesn’t even matter who was ultimately responsible for this whiff. It does little good, at this stage, to finger point. What residents might consider suggesting to Umm...What? their local government staff and officials, however, is putting away some money so we can take a mulligan. It’s budget time and council will be making some hard decisions, but if we can transfer money to reserves to help maintain our sewer system, surely we can save a few shekels to flush this hot mess back to whatever 1990s powerpoint presentation that spawned it. BOB COVEY // bob@thejasperlocal.com
The Jasper Local //
Jasper’s independent alternative newspaper 780.852.9474 • thejasperlocal.com • po box 2046, jasper ab, t0e
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// LOCAL GOVERNMENT
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020 // ISSUE 177 // The Jasper Local // PAGE A3 DOWNSTREAM// EPCOR’s Tyler Martin takes a water sample at Jasper’s Waste Water Treatment Plant. As Jasper’s utility rate structure is discussed at council, operators are cognizant that more flow means more wear and tear on municipal infrastructure. // BOB COVEY
New utility rate structure proposed Municipal staff is asking council to consider restructuring the way Jasper residents and businesses get charged for utilities. For several years, council and administration have been discussing changes to the water and sewer rate model to better distribute the costs of providing services between users, and to support increased transfers to reserves. At the November 10 Committee of the Whole meeting, councillors heard of several possible approaches to rate models: a consumption-based, flat rate—the model Jasper currently employs; and a base rate model, of which there are several variations. Base rate models which charges users based on meter size (larger, institutional buildings generally have larger meters) are the most common and accepted models in North America. These models offer the best representation of the infrastructure required
to support the services, council heard, and provide greater revenue stability and predictability than a purely consumption-based model, particularly in a town like Jasper with seasonal water fluctuations based on visitation.
Another base rate model council learned about is a tiered system which factors in a multiplier, based on user type. This model could charge commercial users at a rate 1.5 times the residential rate, and charge commercial tourism operators x1.75, for example.
water because we don’t know how much our sewers can handle,” explained Legislative Services Manager, Christine Nadon. Administration was trying to show council that more costs are associated with larger users. Grease in the sewer pipes, for example, is an issue that shows up downstream of commercial users. “Should they be bearing more of the cost?” Nadon asked.
Administrators are recommending a base rate-plus-consumption model, including tiered rates based on meter size and user type. This model is designed to discourage consumption, which supports environmental stewardship, but is also critical for Jasper’s limited sewage flow capacity.
That’s the political football council will have to handle as they work towards setting a budget ahead of public meetings November 23 and 25. This year, the public budget meetings will be held online, via the Zoom app. Watch the MOJ’s website and Facebook page for the link to the meeting and email inquires after the sessions, by email, to info@town.jasper.ab.ca by November 26. Questions will be complied, answered and shared in writing after the meetings.
“We want people to conserve
BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com
Councillors, however, weren’t warming up to that idea.
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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 177 // SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020
LOCAL BUSINESS
ALL HANDS ON DECK// Brian Groth, Paul Hart, Kelly Beeby, Rob Paltzat and Trevor Groth, of JFI Foods, have bounced back—twice—in two years. They recently took home the Business of the Year Award from the Chamber. Missing from the photo is Jess Prinn. // Bob Covey
JFI Foods named Business of the Year Back in 2018, JFI Foods, Jasper’s family-run wholesale grocery suppliers, were rolling.
Business was good. Their fiscal year was trending to be the company’s strongest ever and the owners and employees were enjoying the November downtime before the inevitable Christmas rush. Some of them even snuck in a vacation. Then, on December 1, 2018, coowner Trevor Groth got a phone call that he’ll never forget. “Get down to your building,” the caller said. “It’s on fire.” It wasn’t a joke. Smoke was pouring out of the windows at their industrial park location. The Jasper Fire Department was on scene, but they couldn’t save the structure, nor the products stored in it. The Groth siblings—Trevor, Brian and Kelly—along with Brian’s wife Jess, co-owner Rob Paltzat and employee Paul Hart, were devastated. “There were a lot of emotions,” Trevor recalled. But there were also a lot of orders to be delivered. And a lot of
customers to serve. Twenty four hours after the last of the flames were put out, the group was negotiating a new space for their warehouse.
been offering Jasper residents the chance to shop their wholesale products since the summer, posting a weekly flyer online to advertise their offerings.
“Being sad and upset wasn’t going to help,” Paltzat said.
“The new concept has been working well for us and the community,” Trevor said.
Eventually they were back up to speed, supplying Jasper’s hotels and restaurants and using the rebirth to improve their operation. Things were looking up. Then 2020 happened. Like the rest of the planet, JFI shut down for a period in March and April, but they knew that similar to after the fire, if they went dark for too long, their competitors would step in to fill the gap. Despite unpredictable allocations and supply trucks running days late, JFI made it work. What’s more, they identified a gap in the local grocery market: households. “COVID interrupted people’s shopping habits,” Paltzat said. “We saw that we could help with that.” The idea to serve local residents had been on the back burner at JFI, but the pandemic moved the concept onto the grill. JFI has
That’s putting it lightly. Residents have been showing their love for the new service on social media, happy to get groceries delivered when going downtown is inconvenient and potentially unsafe, and saving money to boot. The public displays of affection are new for JFI staff and owners, who as a group tend to operate under the radar. “That extra visibility is an intangible, we don’t know exactly how it will move us forward,” Trevor said. Sort of like the Business of the Year Award, which Brian accepted on October 28 with vintage unflappability. “It’s was nice to get the nomination, but it’s not going to affect how we operate,” he said. BOB COVEY
// thejasperlocal@gmail.com
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LOCAL COMMUNITY
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020 // ISSUE 177 // The Jasper Local // PAGE B2
EV drivers boosting Yellowhead’s Fast Charging potential combustion engine maintenance such as oil changes, it won’t be long before he sees a return on his car’s $40,000 price tag. Yes, EVs lose range in the winter (approximately 20 per cent loss at -10 degrees Celsius; 40 per cent loss at -30 degrees), but he doesn’t have to open his garage door to let it warm up!
Electric Vehicle drivers are banging the drum for more high speed charging stations in Jasper. Bert Hogendoorn, from Sechelt, B.C., says that the Yellowhead Highway in Alberta is not EV-friendly and that as a result, more and more EV drivers are choosing to avoid the corridor altogether.
“Within the range of the vehicle, it wins in every category,” he said.
“Jasper remains a critical stop along this route and unfortunately is not served by any larger corporate EV initiative other than the current Tesla proposal,” Hogendoorn wrote to The Jasper Local recently. Tesla has pitched the installation of EV chargers to Jasper municipal council and this past summer, donated 28 Level Two charging stations to national parks across Canada, including four in Jasper. But what’s missing in Jasper, Hogendoorn said, are the Level Three fast charging stations. His Kia Soul EV gets 330km on a full charge at highway speed, but the British Columbian said to reach his family in Edson from the nearest Level Three charger in Valemount, 288 kms away, leaves no room for sightseeing. (Since his last visit another two Fast Charge stations have been installed at the Mount Robson Visitor Information Centre). Spruce Grove resident Stephen Connick knows well the logistical challenges of planning a visit to Jasper in the EV. He and his wife took the trip last February, but it required “a lot of patience,” he said. To make sure they had enough juice to
Outside of that range, however, gas guzzlers rule the road—until you get to B.C., where BC Hydro has committed to installing Fast Charge stations every 80 kilometres. BOOSTER JUICE// The Trans Canada Highway is well-served by Electric Vehicle Fast Charging stations. EV proponents want Alberta’s Yellowhead Highway to have infrastructure similar to this station in Roger’s Pass. Jasper council and admin are working on it. // Stephen Connick
Connick understands why, even in get here, they stopped in Spruce Grove, 2020, that hasn’t transpired, when Level less than an hour from their house, to top Three stations are popping up along up the battery while they had lunch. They transportation routes in southern Alberta. then ambled along at 90 km/hr to ensure It comes down to they could make it numbers and so far, to Hinton, where the traffic density they plugged into a “The Yellowhead is a wasteland along Highway 16 Level Two charger for EVs.” hasn’t convinced at a car dealership -Stephen Connick private companies to (“we watched a invest. movie,” he said). Finally they got “There’s not a lot of into Jasper, seven money to be made hours after leaving their house, where they in EV fast charging,” Connick said. “The plugged into the Level Two chargers at the payback is dismal.” Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge. The payback on being an EV driver, “The Yellowhead is a wasteland for EVs,” however, is great. Connick, who bought Connick said. “The ideal spot [for a Fast his Chevy Bolt in 2018, said between not Charge station] is probably Edson.” having to pay for gasoline and regular
“As soon as you go across the border you’re in EV nirvana,” Connick said. Jasper council is hoping that can change—by way of a July 7 bylaw motioned by councillor Jenna McGrath, Jasper has designated the south end of the Connaught Drive (200 block) municipal parking lot as the location for future EV charging stations. Tesla’s proposal, which would include generic fast chargers as well as proprietary units, is dependent on grant funding, and municipal staff are currently working with Tesla, ZAAP Charge Inc. and the Town of Edson to fast track the fast charging stations. Hogendoorn, speaking on behalf of EV drivers wishing to travel the Yellowhead highway in both directions, said the initiative can’t come soon enough. “Now is the time to act, we need this for the new era of transportation,” he said. BOB COVEY
// thejasperlocal@gmail.com
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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 177 // SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020
FEATURE // LOCAL CONSERVATION // PHOTOS BY CHRIS KOO
INTO THE SKOKI:
Memories of Ghosts, Apple Pie and a Turkey Dinner BY DAVID HARRAP Hiking fifteen kilometres over two passes in a blizzard for a turkey dinner? You’d have to be nuts. But it’s the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot and sanity be damned. In the age of COVID it’s a smaller group, and a smaller turkey, that sets off up the Mount Temple fire road bound for Merlin Meadows in the Skoki Valley. Heavy packs and strange wobbling gaits. A grizzly sow on a bank huffs and stamps her paws, takes a run at us. If she had but known the grub we are carrying . . . A lunch stop at Halfway Hut.
as winter builds around us. The storm swallows everyone up. We pretty much have the mountains all to ourselves as we climb towards the pass.
firewood. It’s snowing drying clothes and bo hike. Shuka (Lakota fo thin coat, shivers in th
It’s a bedraggled bunch of Trotters that shelter at Skoki Lodge before pressing on for Merlin Meadows. Nine years ago William and Kate come by helicopter for a night at the lodge. Since the lodge has no running
Dead of winter 23 years ago Liam and I camp here. It’s so cold at supper the noodles freeze to the plates; and the frozen flame of the candle is strangely bent sideways although there is no draft inside the hut. Ghosts. Lost hikers, skiers, mountain climbers, the Skoki is full of ghosts. Love nor money gets us sleeping in the hut that night. It’s raining hard now. I’m behind Kristina with her massive pack. Ten T-shirts, a dozen cherry-brie turnovers, vegetable frittatas, brownies, 24 homemade doughnuts, four litres of wine, blackberry brandy, along with all the camping gear. She tells me she likes to climb one mountain a year. She’s done two: Roche Miette, and her first one? Kilimanjaro! Over Boulder Pass and along Ptarmigan Lake that floats into nothingness as the rain turns to snow. We start “The old man of the party, the climb to Deception soon with smoke-bleared Pass.
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Thanksgiving Monday sits by the fire nursing his 26 years ago, socked in cup of tea. “ and snowing heavily, a little boy and his dad make their way along the lake. Coyotes howling, sending up deranged descants of yips and yaps like water, Skoki ghosts in the middle of a heated argument. builds the future King of England a special From somewhere above comes the clump flush toilet. Twenty-two years ago we of hooves, the creaking of saddle leather. come on skis, and make do with a smelly Four horsemen coming out of the storm. outhouse. We sleep in the Merlin Room, Ghost riders in the sky. Then a group of top floor of the lodge. A full moon rising hikers heading home after Thanksgiving over the Wall of Jericho shines in our at Skoki Lodge. Bringing up the rear, window, old wooden floor boards creak, Charlie and Louise Locke, proprietors of and at 3 a.m. something is playing the the lodge. Louise is packing out the last of piano downstairs . . . the grub: six apple pies. They give us one. Turkey Sunday. Scavenging for dry We sit on a boulder with our slices of pie
by the fire, covered wi bag. F-18 fighter pilot not-a-vegan-I’m-a-pla Nick hacks at lengths a hand axe; Dr Chris b drying them too close sticks half-a-pound of under her bra to soften offer to stick it in my c disgusted); and the old
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g slightly. Everyone oots from yesterday’s or dog), with her he cold. We put her
ith an old sleeping Alex saws logs; “I’mant-based-human” of wet boughs with burns his socks e to the fire; Ashley f frozen butter n it for the turkey (I crotch but Liam is d man of the party,
soon with smoke-bleared eyes from the wet wood, sits by the fire nursing his cup of tea. As usual, Liam dances every dance: he defrosts the turkey; with Jacky and Chris’s
Selfie time. Kristina springs her surprise. A T-shirt each for the Trotters that she had silk-screened a couple of days before: 2020 10th Annual Turkey Trot “Gobble till you wobble.” And we do. There are mashed potatoes, roasted parsnips, braised cabbage, sausage chop, walnut cranberry loaf, three types of stuffings, bread sauce, highbush cranberry sauce, moist turkey with walnut, tomato and cider gravy, followed by butternut squash pie and chocolate brownies sprinkled with chocolate crumble and topped with hazelnut chocolate cream expertly piped by The Great Canadian Baking Show semi-finalist Dr Chris. Yes, we gobble till we wobble, but maybe not just from the turkey dinner. There’s a blizzard at Deception Pass on the way back. Wind in our faces, driving snow. Liam drops his pack and comes back to take his old man’s. Twenty-seven years of lugging heavy packs and now I’m getting a Sherpa? Does the boy think I’m some decrepit old fogey? I do a little Joe Biden jog to prove otherwise, but Liam ain’t fooled. I battle on. Down the pass, along Ptarmigan Lake where the wind is blowing even stronger. Snow. White caps on the lake. The hood of my jacket blowing off. Holes in my leather gardening gloves and frozen fingers. I need to go to the toilet. Tired. Exhausted. Knackered . . .
help, prepares the garlic, parsley and lemon butter to slide between breast meat and skin; laces the turkey breast with thick-cut rashers of bacon; sticks the bird in five oven trays, wraps it all in foil, then onto the fire. Kristina is working on her mulled wine. Soon it’s cocktail time. A tray of cheese, pastrami and biscuits is handed around, frittatas and turnovers set out by the fire; Liam and Chris check the turkey.
One day this will be 20 years ago. Liam will have put me in the home, nursie will be tucking the tartan rug around my knees, tapioca pudding will be dribbling down my chin, my eyes will be glazed, and the staff will be whispering: “I see Mr. Harrap’s gone again.” But I haven’t. For I’m back at Merlin Meadows . . . in the smoke, eating turkey, and getting slightly pickled on mulled wine. All we have are memories—in the end. Jasper’s David Harrap is the author of the soon-to-be-published book Over The Mountains, Under The Stars. He may have had a wager that Donald Trump would win the 2020 U.S election, but his little Joe Biden jog revealed where his hopes truly lay.
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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 177 // SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020
LOCAL ARTS
Filmmaker and former Jasperite documenting the extremes of climbing and addiction
As a recovering narcotics addict, Leblanc Their 15-month trip A new film following Red Bull is grateful to be alive. Jasperites might was, by all accounts, athlete Will Gadd as he seeks out remember in 2007 when he and fellow extraordinary, new climbing routes in remote “dirtbag,” Alain Denis, rode their but Leblanc was regions of China was a darling motorcycles out of town, the freedom never able to fully of the 2020 Banff Mountain of the open road beckoning them on a outrun his demons, Film Festival, which wrapped up November 8. The 40-minute documentary features the charismatic Gadd in his element as he on-sights vertical pillars of ice in a country known more for its government’s extreme surveillance measures than its extreme sports. Shot while political relations between Canada and China were tense, Will Power ultimately portrays the redeeming power of human-to-human connections, while also Of ice and men // Canmore’s Will Gadd on a new ice route in eastern China. Will Power, showcasing the athletic a new film by former Jasperite Calixte Leblanc, documents the charismatic Gadd as he abilities of one of the on-sights routes in a country not known for its extreme sports. // Pete Hoang world’s most talented ice climbers in some of the wildest canyons on earth. “I truly believe if it wasn’t for addiction six-continent And while the film’s director, former climbing I wouldn’t have found Vipassana. And Jasperite Calixte Leblanc, has been aglow Calixte Leblanc, above, directed Will Power. Leblanc’s own adventure. Vipassana’s going to be that secret weapon in the BMFF spotlight and thrilled to power has been ratcheted up lately as the former Jasperite is What most tool for me to obtain the life I truly want.” have had the opportunity to work with telling his story about overcoming drug addiction. // John Kelly locals didn’t one of his climbing heroes, when he know at the out the best angles from which to film reflects on his own perilous journey of the time was alternately as Gadd front-pointed his way up “one past 15 years, the 60-metre delaminating that Leblanc, a long-time Jasper waiter being lifted from his despair as he of the best pitches of [his] life”—in the ice pillars Gadd was scaling seem and taxi-driver, was trying to escape a chased his dream of filmmaking before end, their paranoia about government positively steadfast in comparison. crippling cocaine addiction. eventually being dragged back into the interference was unfounded. Although “I made a series of bad choices, back to “I didn’t know what to do,” he said. “Alain dangerous lifestyle. And lucrative as it things got awkward when a Chinese back to back,” Leblanc said. was, he knew he had to get out of the said ‘let’s leave the country.’” rescue team mistook Gadd’s rock route restaurant industry. exploration for a distress signal, tensions “I wanted to go to film school,” he said. eventually eased and the film crew was M U N I C I PA L I T Y O F J A S P E R soon celebrating Chinese New Year But at upwards of $100,000 for a with their “rescuers” over homemade college degree in film, that route was dumplings and baijiu. out-of-reach for Leblanc. Instead, he settled on a business administration “It was an experience of a lifetime,” diploma, going back to his home Leblanc said. province of New Brunswick to Join us on Zoom @ 6:00pm Today, along with putting in steady obtain it. While there, he entered a shifts creating digital content for a competition to become a TransCanada Vancouver-based architectural hardware Trail-roving videographer and company, Leblanc is creating another although he didn’t win the contest, lifetime project, one that tells, in part, he did negotiate himself into an his own story of recovery. Portraying outdoor adventure correspondent the self-healing journeys of athletes job for the CBC, something that whose extreme pursuits often belie their shouldn’t surprise the dinner guests grief-stricken battles with mental health he wheedled tips out of for all those issues and addiction, Breaking Free years, nor the executive producers he will help bring awareness to issues that would eventually coax money out of Leblanc himself deals with. Through to front his film. daily Vipassana meditation practice and “They went for it,” he laughed. regular Narcotics Anonymous meetings, Leblanc is able to live a life of focus So did Leblanc. He had a real job and self-care, but he still needs regular and, more importantly, renewed reminders of how far he’s fallen and how drive. He saved enough money to hard he’s worked to get to where he is leave the Maritimes, reuniting with Denis in Montreal and freelancing for today. Making Breaking Free is all part of staying that path, he said. Wednesday, November 25 Monday, November 23 different film projects before landing a somewhat steady gig with the Wild “I ended up not being able to make rent • Community and Family Services • Finance and Administration Television Network in Edmonton. His and sleeping in a friend’s store for six • Operations • Protective Services assignments involved getting dropped weeks,” he recalled. “I was so desperate.” in the middle of the woods, filming • Culture and Recreation Although that’s not to say he would hunters in pursuit of big game. At change his journey. For had he not hit first it was riveting, but then it felt rock bottom, Leblanc wouldn’t have Questions about the budget? exploitative, he said. discovered the meditation practice that Submit your inquiries by email to info@town.jasper.ab.ca by November 26. “I was honestly conflicted with is now giving him the clarity and the Questions from the public will be compiled, answered and shared in writing that stuff but I wanted to grow as a strength to reach for the sky. after the budget meetings. filmmaker.” “I truly believe if it wasn’t for addiction I He grew. The run-and-gun style of wouldn’t have found Vipassana,” he says. Watch our website and Facebook page for the filming for Wild TV gave him the “And Vipassana’s going to be that secret necessary experience to pull off Zoom link. Presentations will be recorded and weapon, that tool for me to obtain the Will Power, where he assumed not life I truly want.” archived on our YouTube channel. only the director role but additional He’s already seeing results. Will Power production duties after some of his was his first film. Despite the many team members felt uneasy about lives he’s lived and the experiences he’s travelling to state-run China. And accrued, Leblanc is only getting started. while the shoot was logistically BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com frantic—Leblanc and his fellow www.jasper-alberta.com cameramen had to quickly figure
PUBLIC BUDGET MEETINGS
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SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2020 // ISSUE 177 // The Jasper Local // PAGE B6
REMEMBERING CANADA’S VETERANS. // Students from Ecole Desrocher took part in the 10th annual No Stone Left Alone ceremony, honouring those Canadian military members who’ve served and sacrificed, and promoting awareness about Canada’s wartime efforts. // Bob Covey