The Jasper Local October 1, 2021 by The Jasper Local

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FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021 // ISSUE 197

2021 ELECTION EDITION Jasper votes October 18! All voters need proof of identification and residence.

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DIVE IN // With local elections candidates trying to make a splash, The Jasper Local brings you this special ELECTION EDITION to help you get acquainted with those running. See pages B1-B6 and on October 18 don’t forget to vote! // SIMONE HEINRICH

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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 197 // FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021

EDITORIAL //

Local Vocal If you’re a political junkie, there’s no better time than the three weeks between when nominations for municipal office close and Election Day, which this year is October 18. That’s the sweet spot we currently find ourselves in, when all the bluster from “Definitely-Gonna-Run-Guy” can be laid to rest and we find out who actually has the courage of their convictions to let their name stand. I have to say, seeing 11 candidates for the councillor position and another three mayoral hopefuls was a welcome sight for my cold, hungry reporter eyes. For a long time leading up to nomination day I was convinced the pandemic-induced snags that have tripped up so many governments across the country, plus the fear of being eviscerated on social media thanks to the all-seeing eye of Zoom, had turned off folks who would otherwise consider serving their community through elected office. I’m glad to see that’s not the case. And I was also relieved that we didn’t have the opposite situation where half the town chucked their name in the hat. Remember 2013 when 23 candidates were vying for Jasper’s votes (myself included *face palm*)? It can be hard to separate the wheat from the chaff when you’re faced with so many choices. Instead of differentiating between platforms or getting to know easy, and there’s a reason why incumbents are always favoured. each candidate separately, often voting comes down Speaking of favouring, now would be a good time to declare my own biases. to a popularity contest or battle of the widest name Simply put, it’s impossible for me to be completely objective and if a journalist recognition. tries to claim otherwise, they’re full of crap. Everyone has personal biases and In this special Election Edition of The Jasper Local, a reporter is no different so while I can (and do) aim to be as fair and honest we’ve aimed to help you on that front. We’re featuring as I can, even my most careful reporting will have degrees of tonality bias and interviews with each of the candidates for the councillor reflect the history I share with the person in question. One candidate suggested position, and on October 15, with their cooperation, my line of questioning was “leading” and that’s fair comment, but when I we’ll have profiles of the mayoral candidates as well consider how to best obtain responses that help reveal an interview subject’s as analysis of what directions Jasper council might value system or ambitions, I often have to frame questions in a way that take under their respective leadership. We asked the invariably sound like criticism. Prospective councillors should be prepared obvious questions: Why are you running? What’s your to have their feet held to the fire, even if they don’t like the way the person is background? What issues are you concerned about? But holding the flame. we also tried to dig in a little deeper and find out how Overall, I hope that Jasperites will find this exercise useful when casting their they see Jasper’s future and ask why they think they ballots on October 18. As I’ve told the candidates, I feel privileged to have the should be someone leading us into it. opportunity to sit down with a slate of committed residents who, in the end, all You might notice we took a little harder tack when want what’s best for our community. That’s something you don’t have to be a interviewing the incumbents. This was deliberate and political junkie to understand. BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com in my mind, only fair. Those who’ve been sitting around the decision-making table for the last four, eight or 14 The Jasper Local // Jasper’s independent alternative newspaper years ought to be scrutinized more thoroughly than 780.852.9474 • thejasperlocal.com • po box 2046, jasper ab, t0e someone who’s never had councillor training or been Published on the 1st and 15th of each month provided compensation to help govern the community. Incumbents are the ones who’ve helped lead us to where Editor / Publisher Bob Covey..................................................................................bob@thejasperlocal.com we are today, for better and for worse, and it’s my belief that a reporter has a duty to ask them about the decisions Art Director Nicole Covey........................................................................ nicole@thejasperlocal.com they’ve made and the processes they’ve followed and the Advertising & Sales demographics they’ve represented in the course of that Email us today.......................................................... bob@thejasperlocal.com journey. First-time candidates get a bit of a pass in this Editorial Cartoonist regard, but on the flip side, the onus is on them to make themselves stand out and argue why they’re better suited Deke............................................................................................deke@thejasperlocal.com facebook.com/thejasperlocal @thejasperlocal to lead than the folks they’re trying to replace. That’s not

// LOCAL HEALTH

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021 // ISSUE 197 // The Jasper Local // PAGE A3

Jasper vaccination rates offer light in a dark time Jasper is at the top of the class when it comes to vaccination uptake in Alberta and a local doctor thinks that’s in large part to a strong community-first value system.

“In general I think people in Jasper have a good sense of community here,” said Dr. Declan Unsworth. “I think that goes a long way.” As experts have been telling us since vaccines were first rolled out earlier this year, getting vaccinated goes a long way in preventing COVID-19. If doublevaccinated Albertans do catch the virus—and there are some who have—the antibody-stimulating “jab” helps provide immunity from the severe symptoms that are associated with COVID, particularly the Delta variant thereof which has been ravaging unvaccinated populations across the province. In Jasper, 72 per cent of all residents have been fully vaccinated. That’s better than the 63 per cent provincial rate as of September 28 and is far above the rates of our closest regional neighbours (Hinton was 57 per cent, Edson was 51 per cent and Rocky Mountain House was a dismal 46 per cent). Unsworth speculated that difference, particularly in the 20-39-year-old age groups, could be attributed to the lifestyles and the employment opportunities in this community. “A lot of our 20 to 39-yearolds work in the service

COURTESY ALBERTA.CA

industry, dealing with the public on a regular basis, and they probably see the importance of being vaccinated,” he suggested. To Unsworth and especially to his colleagues in the city, the importance couldn’t be more clear. Alberta’s Intensive Care Units are overflowing with unvaccinated patients who can’t get off oxygen, the result being that other patients can’t access the beds. Although young people who get COVID are for the most part surviving the disease, Unsworth said what doesn’t show up in the case counts or death rates is the permanent scarring to these patients’ lungs. “People are ending up as pulmonary cripples,” he said.

Additionally, billions of COVID vaccine doses have been administered around the world. “If we were going to see effects we would have seen them by now,” he said. Pregnant women are particularly at risk of complications if they catch COVID. Unsworth knows of several cases of women who’ve had to deliver emergency cesarian sections, then remain intubated for days and weeks while their family members care for the baby. On the flip, he said the vaccine is safe for pregnancy. “What’s good for mom is good for baby,” he said. As the Alberta Section of Family Medicine calls for a firebreak to stop the freefall of Alberta’s current health care crisis, Unsworth repeated the same thing he’s been saying for 19 months.

Dispelling misinformation about vaccines is a monumental task that he tries to chip away at, and he has empathy for “Get vaccinated and call those who are coming your local MLA to put from a place of fear of the pressure on them to stand unknown. However, the up and take a leadership data should quell those role,” he said. “Do the simple fears. Long term side measures that if applied on a effects have never shown province wide scale wouldn’t up for non-live vaccines have led to this issue.” such as the ones used to protect against COVID. B COVEY // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 197 // FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021

THOMAS ARKINSTALL Thomas Arkinstall hasn’t been in Jasper long, but he knows a

good thing when he sees it.

“Jasper’s one of the coolest small towns to live in,” he said. “It’s surrounded by mountains, it’s in a national park and even only being here for a short time I can go downtown or to the pub and see people I know.” Arkinstall came to Jasper in October of 2020 with the same goals as many 23-year-olds want to pursue: ski his butt off and find a job he enjoys. He checked both boxes, spending plenty of time on the slopes at Marmot Basin last winter and making rent money for his Cavell Court apartment in the food and beverage sector with Dana Hospitality. When the snow melted, he picked up a job at Bear’s Paw Bakery. Now he wants another job: municipal councillor. Although he studied political science at university, Arkinstall might not have had local politics on his radar

BETH MCLACHLAN For 34-year-old dog lover, artist and mental health advocate, Beth McLachlan, moving to Jasper was the best decision she ever made.

“Jasper saved my life,” she said. “I needed a new start and I got it here.” That sense of gratitude, along with the fulfilment she gets from organizing and advocating at the community level, has led her to throw her name into the municipal election race. “There wasn’t an exact moment when the lightbulb went off,” McLachlan said. “But I started realizing how important community work is, that my efforts are making positive changes. It felt like a clear path.”

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had it not been for an experience helping a friend campaign for municipal office in another remote Alberta community. When his 21-year-old fellow university student not only sought office in Ryley (population: 500) but was elected, Arkinstall, who helped write his buddy’s speeches, was encouraged. “I want more young people to participate in democracy,” he said. “I like thinking of council as a team.” Team Arkinstall would increase community garden space and crack down on unregistered AirB&Bs, he said. He’d like to get more of his colleagues interested in contributing to Jasper’s cleanliness and overall safety. A young person on council could be just the inspiration they need, he suggested. “I’m trying to be a role model, trying to get people involved.” Arkinstall admits he hasn’t dove into the Municipal Governance Act and he’d be out of his depth if he was tossed into the budgeting process, but he holds high regard for local office and he’d be eager to learn the

ropes, just like his friend in Ryley. “I view getting to run for office as a great honour,” he said. “I would listen to people and to those who’ve been on council before.

haven’t been heard before.

Along that path, she’s taken the helm of the Jasper Volleyball League. She’s filled a spot on Jasper’s Culture and Recreation Board. She’s been recruited as Assistant Manager for the Jasper Farmer’s Market and she’s helped a variety of businesses and organizations grow their social media platforms. From those roles, she’s learned that even though Jasper is a great place to live and work, it’s also hampered by rules that make it difficult for people to pursue their dreams. “If someone wants to be an artist as their job, why is that not enough?” she said. She’s got thoughts about the needto-reside clause and how home-based entrepreneurs are held back by restrictive licensing requirements. There’s conversations to be had to help give Jasper families more housing options, she says. And the off-leash dog park is in dire need of improvements. If she’s elected, these are but some of the topics McLachlan would like to broach.

“I can see and hear that locals feel their voices are not being heard,” she said. “We need to ask the hard questions and listen to the honest answers when asked ‘How can we make Jasper a better place to live?’”

“Local government is where actual change can happen,” she says. “ Is she as informed as she could be on every issue that council will have to deal with in next term? No. She admits the thought of making sense of the municipality’s budgeting process will be a big learning curve. But she’s excited to learn, she’s interested in helping and she’s open to exploring new perspectives—particularly those that

As a relatively new Jasperite, McLachlan has immersed herself in the community, but she knows there’s lots of room to grow. She doesn’t yet have a family, or own a home or run a storefront business. But those are things she’d like to have, one day. Similarly, she knows Jasper can build on an already solid community foundation. “Jasper has amazing people, history and culture but looking forward, we have the opportunity to be better,” she said. “Let’s find solutions to our struggles together.” BOB COVEY // thejasperlocal@gmail.com

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ANITA ROBINSON

“I’m available,” she said. “I’m happy to engage with pretty much anybody.”

Anita Robinson feels fortunate. She feels fortunate to have lived the majority of her life in Jasper. She feels fortunate to have raised her children in the community and she feels blessed to be able to watch her grandchildren grow up here, too. And as of late, Robinson feels fortunate to live in a community and a country where anybody can put their name forward to run for public office. Because that’s exactly what she’s gone and done. “I have a desire to contribute,” she said. “I feel like I have the time and the energy.” Robinson says she isn’t particularly “political,” but as a life-long learner with a long family history who’s sat on many local boards—perhaps most prominently, on the executive of the local curling club—she feels like her background makes her a good candidate.

After retiring from the local dental office, Robinson wants to put her organizational attributes, work ethic and listening skills to good use. She’s (technically) a senior, and thinks there could be better representation from that demographic—one that often gets short shrift. “Sometimes we forget about our seniors but if you do that you lose them, just like young families,” she said. Anita isn’t the first Robinson to have her name on the local ballot. Her husband (and high-school sweetheart), Herb, put his name in the hat in 2017 and four years before that, brother-in-law Larry filed his own candidacy papers. But Anita is her own person, with her own campaign, she says, and she doesn’t speak for anyone but herself.

Even though she’s been watching online council meetings, consulting with current and former officials and in general trying to get to know what Jasperites’ issues and concerns are, Robinson doesn’t have a lot of time for complaining. She says Jasper’s been well-served by its municipal council over the years.

“I’ve lived in Jasper for a long time,” she said. “My main concern is moving forward in a positive way for everybody. I want the best for myself as a senior, for my kids and for young families.”

“They’ve constantly strived to improve things for us,” she said. “We’re lucky that way.”

hasn’t exactly embraced online media platforms. “I’m not a great Facebook fan,” he said. Melnyk, 64, isn’t a luddite. He’d just rather talk in person or on the phone. “My name has been in the book for 30 years,” he said. “Always happy to have a phone call.”

RALPH MELNYK In the 14 years since Ralph Melnyk last hit the campaign trail, some things have changed, while other things have remained the same. Changed: how the world communicates. Social media was nascent in 2007 and online conference meetings were a decade (and a pandemic) removed from coming into popular use. Unchanged: how Ralph communicates. He

It shows. Melnyk is a skilled orator. He’s articulate and thoughtful. His cadence is smooth, his tone friendly. Melnyk has brought that talent to various high-level positions in Jasper’s hospitality industry, to the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce where he served as president, and to the Jasper Rotary Club, an organization of which he is proud to be a founding member. Most recently, he’s used his persuasive voice to advocate on behalf of the Hotel Association. In May, he advocated for Jasper’s tax burden to be shifted from commercial properties to residential ones. When asked why he spoke up on behalf of Jasper’s largest ratepayers, he said the hospitality industry is Jasper’s largest

With a vote for her, Robinson thinks she can help keep Jasper’s good fortunes going.

employer, represents Jasper’s largest sector and through the industry’s destination marketing fee (DMF) does the lion’s share of Jasper’s marketing. “The hospitality industry, including restaurants and retail, are truly what we offer here,” he said. “It has to be more equitable for everybody in that sector.” Melnyk no longer works in the sector himself. As of September 23, he was four weeks into retirement, a life-change that impacted his decision to run again. “I said I was going to redefine my life,” he said. “This is one of those things I thought about.” Melnyk’s experience last time around taught him that between readings, preparation, council and committee meetings, a councillor needs to dedicate approximately 20 hours per week to the job. “I’m committed to being prepared,” he said. Broadly speaking, Melnyk said his priorities are to help lead Jasper out of an economic recession while respecting the realities of climate change.

“We’re a province away from 270 to 300 wildfires where communities were devastated,” he said. “We still need to be prepared for that type of event, making sure our support services can react and we can function as a viable community.” As construction noise amped up from the ongoing Connaught Drive underground utilities project, Melnyk indicated his support for work which will eventually service two housing initiatives. He said it’s important to ensure there is an appropriate mix and balance of accommodations. Melnyk was also supportive of measures council took to reduce the 2020 tax requisition on the heels of the declaration of the pandemic, and called the approach to find tax relief in 2021 “balanced.” His approach to representing his community is likewise, he said. “Whether it’s families with preschool aged children, working families, retirees…we have to be aware of all of these segments when providing services.”

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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 197 // FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021

INCUMBENT PROFILES

to leverage the Yellowhead region’s tourism opportunities—Helen Kelleher-Empey has done her share of elbow rubbing. “I’m a relationship builder,” the Irishborn Kelleher-Empey suggested. “I’m a networker.” But as good as she is at liaising, the seasoned politician isn’t taking votes for granted in 2021, particularly after a challenging 19 months in office since the pandemic was declared and after Jasper’s paid parking pilot garnered about as much local love as an I Heart Banff t-shirt.

HELEN KELLEHEREMPEY

With eight years behind her

on Jasper municipal council, 15 years with the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce and a dozen years with GAER—a regional economic development alliance mandated

“Paid parking has not gone over as well,” Kelleher-Empey admitted. “I think we have a lot of work to do to improve our communication.” That means listening, too. Kelleher-Empey said one thing she hears again and again in Jasper is the need for expanded daycare hours. Recently, council commissioned a study to consider the feasibility of weekend and evening childcare options at the Wildflowers Children’s Centre. Kelleher-

RICO DAMOTA It’s been 14 years since Rico Damota first was elected to council, but there’s no question the last half of this latest four-year term has been the most heavily scrutinized.

The COVID health crisis was the obvious wrench in the gears for governments the world over but it wasn’t just that local leaders had no pandemic playbook, it was that all of a sudden, their decisions were under the Zoommicroscope, Damota said. “I think there’s always been divisive issues on council, but I think this was the first time people saw we’re not always on the same page.” At the heart of that split was a debate on the 2020 tax requisition, and how much relief ratepayers should be afforded. There’s no need to relitigate that issue here, but suffice to say Damota believes all of council could have been less emotional and more diplomatic, himself included. “I think collectively we all could have been better at being our best selves,” he said. “It was a big learning curve for a lot of people.” It hasn’t all been tough politicking and thick-skin-building this term, however. Damota said he was happy to see years of drum-banging come to fruition when the provincial

SCOTT WILSON

At work, Scott Wilson, owner of SAW Construction, is used to making

executive decisions. Hire that contractor, order those supplies, apply for those permits. Decision made, decision actioned, done. Next. However, when Wilson was first elected to Jasper council, it didn’t take long for him to discover that the decision-making process on municipal matters was much, much less efficient. “I was totally naive to the fact that everybody should have a say, everybody should be able to speak at length on each issue and as a result, the decision-making process takes much longer,” he said. That agonizingly slow process was never more evident than with Wilson’s desire to reduce speed limits in some

government doled out COVID reflected Jasper’s reality of pr million tourists every year. Th didn’t get recognition until re been rewarding to participate something he’s taken part in t Given came from Grande Prai really, apart from the large inf as MPL Place and the CN und often get to point to big shiny Being an effective official is m for Damota, that means buildi

“I like working with people, te said. “The more we do that the

Things got a little exciting, in parking went over like a lead b admitted it’s tough to filter ou

“When people vent it doesn’t affects their families,” he said

Damota won the most votes in 1,466 voters cast their ballots His appeal is wide in Jasper, b can also be criticized for being blending and bending to the o room. Damota will admit he’s argues that being able to adm opposed to holding fast to you a vice.

parts of the community. What seemed like an easy enough initiative took most of the four-year term to action and even as recently as the September 21 regular council meeting, Wilson was battling procedure as he tried to get support for another speed reduction on Colin Crescent, where it’s glaringly-obvious the current 50km/hr official limit is inappropriate. As such, he tries to tell himself that instead of getting frustrated when his and other councillors’ big picture ideas trundle through the proper process, to try to be satisfied with small wins. He even tells himself that the deliberation is a positive thing. “It’s completely opposite of my work and my life but I think I benefit from slowing things down and considering other opinions,” he said. That lesson is one of the reasons Wilson is running for council again. It takes almost an entire term of learning to get to the point where councillors can start to truly

future planning is another m

“The amount of time that tak calendar blew my mind,” he s

That’s not to say spending 8 a good thing. If Wilson’s elec to spend much less time hag numbers. “Administration deserves to

Empey is hopeful that the study will show it makes sense for the community. “Not having daycare hampers a lot of people,” she said. In 2017, Kelleher-Empey told this newspaper that she had unfinished business on council, including helping oversee the construction of commercial and RV parking in the Stan Wright Industrial Park. Now that the $775,000 S-Block parking facility has been built, however, most of the spaces in the lot sit empty. Kelleher-Empey said that the rules governing its use and the price of a rented stall need to be revisited. “Council has asked administration to bring this back to the current council,” she said. “I think the whole program needs to be reassessed.” Perhaps nothing was assessed and reassessed more than the last two budgets passed by council. When those documents finally did see third reading, they were not passed unanimously; council was

D relief funds in a way that roviding infrastructure to two hat work started in 2004 and ecently, he said. Likewise, it’s in the CAO hiring process— three times now—when Bill irie this past January. But frastructure projects such derpass, councillors don’t y projects and say “I did that.” more about the process, and ing working relationships.

eamwork, collaborating,” he e more exciting it gets.”

n a different way, as paid balloon this summer. Damota ut the noise on social media.

just affect the councillors it d.

n 2017 when 65 per cent of with an X beside his name. but popular politicians g chameleonic in nature, opinions of whoever’s in the a fence-sitter at times, and mit when you’re wrong as ur convictions is a virtue, not

be effective, he said. Take the budget, for example. Reading it is one thing. Understanding it in a way you can make informed decisions on projects and staffing and operations and matter entirely.

kes up within council’s said.

months on the document is cted again, he wants council ggling and nitpicking the have the budget to work off

divided on making deep cuts to the 2020 tax requisition and was split again in 2021 when a trimmed-down operational budget was finally approved. In both instances, Kelleher-Empey voted for the cuts, a position she defends today. “With COVID, council was being stringent,” she said. “It made sense at the time to do layoffs.” Moving forward, she said, it’s her belief that the town will build those reserves back up. “You have to build slowly but surely,” she added. “Nobody expected the pandemic.” Certainly Kelleher-Empey couldn’t imagine a more disruptive event to a successive term, should she get in again. Her advice to rookie candidates vying for a spot the table is to follow their passion. “Get out there, get your ideas out there, look at the online meetings and what the issues are,” she said. “If you’re successful, you’re a councillor for all the community and for all projects. Leave your biases at the door.”

“Of course I want to be liked, every person does to some degree, but if somebody has an argument and I put it through my process and I go ‘I was completely wrong,’ I’m ok to admit that.” Damota’s three “filters” that he says he applies to all important council decisions include ‘Is this good for the community;’ ‘What are the fiscal costs and social ramifications;’ and ‘Is this the right thing to do?’ While clearly his system, when asked whether or not it was a good idea for him to run for a fifth term, churned out a yes, he knows he’ll still have to work hard to get the support of the community again. One of his areas of focus, he said, will be a recommitment to enhanced communication with the public. Because despite the enhanced scrutiny engendered by the online meetings and despite the divisions that the pandemic has shown it can sow, being a councillor is still the best job he’s ever had. “It’s really rewarding to me,” he said. “I’m grateful for the people I’ve served with over time.”

of January 1, not April 1,” he said. “I’m not sure much more is achieved when it’s on the table months on end.” One thing that delayed the signing off of the 2021 budget was Wilson’s having to miss a critical meeting; his being absent on April 6 meant a motion to pass the operating budget was defeated (three councillors voted yea, three voted nay). That was bad luck, he said, and defended his having to be away from the council table on other occasions, too. “I would argue that you have to set priorities and if it comes down to family over council, I am going to choose my family,” he said. When it comes to council’s plate, Wilson wants to pile on a couple more items, even if they look more like an entire buffet than a starter salad. The municipality has a role to play in combatting climate change, he said. An electric vehicle fleet would be something to set council’s sights on. Taking control of the transfer station is long

overdue, which would allow Jasper to have more agency on progressive, green ideas. And he’d consider pushing to replace the Environmental Stewardship Coordinator position, which was axed in 2019 shortly after Parks Canada pulled the pin on their portion of the funding. “We’ve definitely dropped the ball on some of those initiatives,” he said. This past term has been far from perfect, Wilson knows. But a pandemic, a recession and the hiring of a new CAO is bound to jam up the best-laid plans. In the end, he wants to refocus on being part of a team, letting administration do its job and doing his best to represent young families. “I’m a hard worker raising his family here. I feel like I understand the operations side of the municipality. I support the services that we offer and would hate to cut taxes or limit the budget to the point where our services suffer.”

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The Jasper Local // ISSUE 197 // FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1, 2021

WENDY HALL Like a lot of people who come to Jasper,

Wendy Hall’s first job in town was at Marmot Basin. She worked in the rental shop, ski school and in the on-hill daycare from 1995-2002. She loved it. A lot of life has happened since then— she got married, had a family, bought a trailer, bought a business, lost that business, worked in childcare again and last year, after the pandemic hit, started another business. She’s seen countless Jasperites come and go. She’s shared their struggles. She’s almost always kept a side gig as a server. And even though she never technically worked as a liftie, Hall’s latest endeavour is an attempt to lift people up. She’s running for council to represent the people who, like her, have never had an easy go in Jasper. “Families have a hard time here,” she says. “They’re doing opposite shits, working on weekends or at night, struggling to find places to live. I

LOCAL ELECTION

don’t know I have all the solutions for them but I definitely know I would come at the job from that perspective.”

it’s downright brutal. Hall wants to make it better.

Hall had a major perspective shift in 2018 after she and her husband were forced to close the doors of their widely-beloved business, Freewheel Cycle. It still hurts, she said, but she’s learned valuable lessons from the experience.

But first she needs people to the voting ballot box who normally wouldn’t go. That means young people. That means front line workers. She knows neither group is typically well-represented in Jasper elections. She’s determined to change that.

“It’s humbling donating to the food bank and then six months later having to use it,” she said. “There’s the perception that because you own a business or you own a trailer, you’re doing fine. That experience gave me new appreciation for all of the social services we’ve had in Jasper.” Those supports are something that many people heavily rely on, Hall said. As a social-values candidate, she wants to help give more options for kids who are too old for childcare but too young to be left by themselves. She wants to see more community events in Jasper. She wants to make the downtown more vibrant. “I do support a street closure, if it’s approached gently,” she said, broaching the subject many candidates for council are hesitant to offer an opinion on. “But only if there’s a plan, some real upgrades to the street to make it more desirable to pedestrians. I love the idea of a Friday night closure, from June to September, with music, celebrations, a long-weekend feel.” She knows retail is tough sledding. It was tough before the pandemic, with the constant creep of online shopping. Now

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“Let’s bring families downtown on Friday nights who normally wouldn’t go,” she said.

“It’s easy to do business here, play here if you’re rich,” she said. “I want to represent the people who work two and three jobs to stay here.” Hall’s been working a third job lately: watching council meetings. Since February, when she was the first candidate to file nomination papers,

she’s tuned into every online municipal council and committee meeting, sometimes watching the highlights again later on YouTube. It’s been instructive, she said, because she knows getting elected would come with a huge learning curve. If she attains a seat on October 18, she’s determined to stick to her role. “My job as a councillor is governance, not to make decisions about the tiniest penny,” she said. Easier said than done, perhaps, but she figures she’ll be busy enough talking to people about their issues than to worry about administrators’ jobs. “I’ll show up, I’ll be prepared. I’m good at working with people, from the dishwasher to the hotel owner. “I’m ready to do this. This is what I want to do.”

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LOCAL ELECTION

JASON STOCKFISH In 2017, after nominations for municipal election candidates closed, Jason Stockfish’s name was not among those on the official nomination list. He regretted it.

“I shouldn’t have hesitated,” he said. “This is something I’ve been intending on doing for 20 years.” As such, he wasn’t about to live with the same regret four years later. However, this past September 20, moments after nominations closed and the official candidates list was

circulated, Stockfish’s name was again missing.

“I’ve had an up-close and personal look at city hall,” he said.

“My heart sank into my stomach,” he said.

He liked what he saw and although he hasn’t worked alongside town managers or councillors since, he hopes to get back at the council table in 2021 as a voice for the community.

Turns out it was just a clerical error. His papers had been filed. The local elections official corrected the record. “It took a few hours before may appetite came back,” he said. Now that he’s officially in the race for a seat on council, Stockfish’s appetite to connect with his fellow Jasperites has never been bigger. He’s a student of political history, a believer in the democratic process and a former beat reporter who 10 years ago enjoyed rubbing elbows with municipal decision makers in his former home of St. Albert.

Jasper’s autonomy needs to be discussed, Stockfish believes. Expensive parking stalls (and the lack thereof) required by business owners is another that needs air. He’d like better community engagement and has some ideas about engaging local media to get it. Additionally, he wants to figure out a way to get a cut of the national park’s gate revenues, even if that has proven to be a local politician’s pipe dream for decades.

“You need the mettle and the determination to bring these things forward,” he said. Stockfish has those qualities, he promises. As a family man with two kids (aged eight and seven), he wants to work hard for his family and others like it. He feels like he has a good pulse of the community. He wants to drive the conversation. “I don’t like being a passenger,” he said. He’s tinkered in community organising, tutoring at one time with the Jasper Employment and Education Centre and coaching his kids’ baseball team. But being on council would give him an opportunity to dive in deeper, he said, and make good on his

Stephanie Let tner came to a conclusion recently that many

“What I’d be most interested in looking at would be construction projects and development projects,” she said. “That’s what draws my attention.”

Jasperites have discovered before her: work and life should be balanced.

Her experience at the engineering firm wasn’t all sciencebased, of course. Unless you consider team building to be creating chemistry. Lettner led her colleagues on food bank drives and Habitat for Humanity fundraisers. Now that she’s back in Jasper, she’s volunteered with the Jasper Food Recovery Program.

It took the experiences of graduating from Jasper Jr./Sr. High School 11 years ago, moving to Edmonton for post secondary school and finding work as an environmental engineer to accept this wisdom, but now that she’s back in the community and working at a local coffee shop, every so often the realization hits here.

Lettner, whose parents Alice and Gerry have both run for pubic office (Alice in the 2017 municipal election; Gerry in two previous school trustee races), says she would now like to balance her work and her life with community service. She is running in Jasper’s municipal election as a selfdescribed problem-solver, critical-thinker and community-

organizer. “I’m deliberative but when i have something to say it will definitely be heard,” she said. As a young person, her voice hasn’t been represented on council, she says. She figures it’s high time that changed. “Young adults have many different issues that aren’t being addressed by the older demographic,” she said. “Why shouldn’t we be affecting the change we want to see?”

“On a community level you’re able to affect the most change,” she said. Lettner knows her face isn’t as recognizable as some of the other candidates running for council. Regardless, she hopes Jasper will give her a chance to prove she’s up for the job. “I have an energy and a passion that comes through when I’m working towards something that means something to me. Making people’s voices heard is something I’m excited for.”

of the model lies in the pooling of resources from collaborators and provincial funders. The Wildflowers Childcare Centre that she helped architect has developed as one of only two municipally-run daycare centres in Alberta and Jasper’s well-loved Community Dinners Program (on hold since March of 2020) was a result, in large part, of her nurturing the idea of all community members breaking bread together. The question voters might have then, is: If elected, can Waxer maintain professional distance from the department she’s reared for the last three decades?

KATHLEEN WAXER When asked why she decided to run for council after 36 years at the helm of

the MOJ’s Community and Family Services (CFS) department, Kathleen Waxer, in typical fashion, trotted out an evocative metaphor. “Lately I’ve been thinking of it as a trapeze,” the 63-yearold recent-grandmother said of her decision. “I was going in the direction of retirement, but I didn’t feel comfortable with the drop.” Waxer, whose circus-themed metaphors are apparently never far away (“leap and the net will appear” is among her favourites), turned heads when she revealed that she wanted to run for public office. Her legacy as a community services visionary and an innovative collaborator is welldocumented. But why would this matriarch to a generation of local service providers, instead of taking her retirement package and spending more time with her family or reading the books she could never get to, choose to sign up for more meetings, more budgets and more work-related stress? In short: to make letting go of CFS easier. “It struck me that sitting on the other side of the table would be an opportunity to make a difference, but in a different way,” she said. Kathleen has never been one for the conventional. As the visionary of the Jasper Community Team Society, she has overseen the expansion of Jasper’s human services on a shoestring budget from the local tax base; the brilliance

“Its a lot to put yourself out there, I was nervous,” he said. “But I knew I was qualified, I had the life experience and the education. It became an easy decision when I looked at it like that.”

What are those changes? For one, Lettner said, better housing options. For another, more childcare options. She realizes those gripes are common, but her background, education and energy are not, she suggests.

STEPHANIE LETTNER

“Enjoying the quality of life Jasper is able to offer is important,” she said.

intentions that he’s harboured for a long time.

“I think I have a healthy respect for boundaries,” she replied. “Just as I was able to respect the constraints imposed on me as a director, I think so to will I in this scenario.” Being a deliberate thinker and speaker will be an asset in avoiding blurring the lines, she added. “I’m not impulsive,” she said. She is empathetic, however, a quality that helps her be curious, which goes with a desire to learn. Although she said her foundational knowledge of municipal government and budgets will assist a transition from administration to governance, she’s nevertheless preparing herself for a steep learning curve, should she get elected. “Even after 36 years there’s always more to learn,” she said. And there’s more people to learn from. Inclusiveness is a critical lens through which to view local government, she said. Jasper needs new ways to engage voices that we don’t hear from and if we’ve fallen short until now, we need to try again. “We can only get better if we hear from our broadest base of constituents,” she said. Waxer has been herself hearing from her potential constituents, and so far the feedback about her political aspirations has been overwhelmingly positive. But will she be prepared to hear the negative, should her position on a future contentious issue provoke the ire of social media? Only time will tell. In the meantime, she’s getting used to the idea of promoting herself as a politician. That might be the one part she’s not actually prepared for. “It feels unnatural,” she admitted. “But I think I bring a strong ethic of service to the community. I loved serving in the CFS role and I know if I’m elected I will love serving in the new role.”

JASPER VOTES OCTOBER 18! All voters need proof of identification and residence.