The Jasper Local Issue 57 September15 2015

a lt e r n a t i v e + l o c a l + i n d e p e n d e n t //////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

thejasperlocal.com

tuesday, september 15, 2015 // issue 57

REVELLERS OF ALL AGES TOOK IN THIS YEAR’S JASPER FOLK MUSIC FESTIVAL. // BOB COVEY

Jasper Folk Festival hits all the right notes The sun was shining on the the Jasper Folk Music Festival September 13 as organizers basked in the afterglow of an event-gonesmoothly.

Community support in lieu of provincial funding, an allCanadian lineup, increased turnout and a more diverse cultural milieu were just some of the successes festival Executive Director Cristin Murphy was celebrating while tuning into the event’s closing jam.

“We felt like if we could get through this year we can get through anything,” she said, referring to the event’s smaller budget despite increased expectations in the reincarnated festival’s third year.

With $10,000 less to work with compared to its past two years, the committee had to be more strategic with their expenses. As such, more effort went into making Sunday a more structured lineup;

workshops were added as were more vendors.

“We also wanted to expand our horizons and we were happy to be able to add more Aboriginal and Francophone content,” Murphy said.

Despite the rain on Saturday night, the audience, for the most part, got warmer as the night went on. The Pick Brothers Band cut the chill with their high energy, shoes-off stomp rock, then headliner Harry Manx got in the groove, mesmerizing the crowd with a roots-raga, east-meets-west soundscape.

At press time, final numbers had yet to come in but Murphy said they were sitting just shy of the $30,000 in gate revenue they had budgeted for. The festival attracted approximately 70 volunteers.

“This event takes an entire year to organize, we do feel like we’re getting better at it,” Murphy said. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

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editorial //

page A2 // the jasper local // issue 57 // september 15, 2015

Local Vocal ON OCTOBER 1, ALBERTA’S GOVERNMENT WILL INTRODUCE THE FIRST OF ITS MINIMUM WAGE CHANGES, A $1 BUMP FOR THOSE CURRENTLY EARNING $10.20 PER HOUR AND A $1.50 RAISE FOR FOLKS WHO SERVE LIQUOR AND CURRENTLY EARN $9.20.

On the face of it, that sounds pretty awesome, especially for someone like me who works part time as a server and earns $9.20 for every hour I spend mopping, sweeping or generally not earning tips. I suppose that’s why the hike was such a great election promise for the NDP this past May. When you dig a little deeper, however, the full changes to minimum wage—which will include eliminating the disparity between earners who serve booze and those who don’t, and which will culminate in a $15/hr minimum wage by 2018—will do more harm than good.

Sure, it’s a nice idea to help folks “meet their basic needs,” as the labour minister has explained. But the abrupt hike will leave small businesses in the lurch, create an employment gap among young people and make Alberta less competitive than its neighbours as unemployment rates rise along with the artificial pay hike.

If employers are going to have to raise wages by almost 40 per cent in three years, there’s no other way to bear that cost than by passing it onto their customers. That, and business owners will have to make staff reductions, compounding an issue that we know all too well in this town: labour shortages.

Skilled workers will inevitably have to do the menial jobs that otherwise less-expensive labour could handle. Subsequently, service levels will suffer and people will be engaged in less meaningful work; moreover, unemployment will increase among students and unskilled workers.

In a free market, young people learn skills because businesses can afford to hire them in the first place.

Naturally, as their value increases to the business, their pay improves, as will the opportunity to perform meaningful work (a factor so often overlooked by economists).

Alberta will be going from the lowest minimum wage to the highest. This will undoubtedly bump up prices on daily consumer items and retail goods. Where will this leave businesses that currently pay their employees more than minimum wage but less than $15? Will those people now make $18? Wages should be dictated by skills and experience, not election promises.

Alberta had the lowest EI rates when minimum wage was lowest. Market dynamics will create the earnings that the provincial government is trying to artificially enhance.

Cut your losses, NDP, take back your misguided election promise and stop trying to fix what ain’t broken. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

Letters to the editor Dear Editor, Thanks to Todd Millions (September 1st Letters, “Truthers say the darndest things”) we have a classic example of how a Hasbarat troll works. His nonsensical comments about Bob Covey’s article on the Kevin Barrett’s “We are NOT Charlie Hebdo” tour served no other purpose than to cause us confusion and discomfort.

You might call this an antiintellectual stink bomb. There was no power in his words, and in fact he made a fool of himself, but

the desired effect is to shut down the conversation.

We see through these tactics.

We will continue to resist the tyranny of lies and deception which is being foisted upon us for the purpose of perpetuating the fraudulent War on Terror. The truth will prevail. The people are waking up.

- Monika Schaefer Jasper, Alberta

The Jasper Local //

Jasper’s independent alternative newspaper 780.852.9474 • thejasperlocal.com • po box 2046, jasper ab, t0e 1e0

Published on the 1st and 15th of each month Editor / Publisher

Bob Covey..........................................................................................bob@thejasperlocal.com

Art Director

Nicole Gaboury........................................................................nicole@thejasperlocal.com

Advertising + sales

sarah DeClercq.........................................................................sarah@thejasperlocal.com

cartoonist

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Local election//

tuesday, september 15, 2015 // issue 57 // the jasper local// page A3

KEN D P HAS YET TO HIT THE CAMPAIGN TRAIL HARD. TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE, THE AUTHOR WRITES// BOB COVEY

Comment: Legions of potential local voters yet to be swayed Based on the most recent polls, NDP candidate Ken Kuzminski represents the best shot Jasper has ever had of putting one of its residents in federal parliament.

OK, the orange wave isn’t exactly cresting across the riding (latest projections have the Conservative Party walking away with 67 per cent of the vote compared to the NDP’s 20), but considering the three-way race across the country (which includes the Liberals), and taking into account the recent defeat of Alberta’s Tory dynasty, some* are suggesting 2015 could be the year for the NDP in Yellowhead.

So…does Kuzminski ever think about that? Hmm? “No,” he said (he didn’t elaborate. So much for my probing question).

Kuzminski, whose nomination was among the last in the country to be ratified, had on September 13 yet to put a sign up, pass out a button or post any sort of campaign literature on social media. My question to Ken is: what’re you waiting for? There are legions (no

pun intended) of folks waiting to like, retweet, favourite and share your campaign posts, if only you’d put down your tape measure and make a little splash on Facebook. Heck, your nickname is Ken D P! You have a burger named after you! That stuff sells itself!

To be fair, Kuzminski’s been sick with the flu, and before that he was hospitalized with a collapsed lung, and before that he was laid up after a botched surgery on his foot. Not exactly the type of conditions that make someone want to “put themself out there.”

But still, it’d be nice to see a sense of urgency—if only to remind the electorate that they’ve got a job to do come October 19. Kuzminski said his campaign will get rolling soon, (“there’s still 36 days left,” he said), but IMHO he’d better pick up the pace!

Last November’s by-election saw Jim Eglinski win the Yellowhead riding (handily) for the Conservative Party of Canada and now folks are getting to know the former RCMP officer as a nice guy with a handshake that can crush a potato (uncooked).

In a riding with our history, that’s kind of all you need if

you’re a Tory.

In that by-election, Eglinski’s closest competition was Hinton teacher and town councillor, Liberal Ryan Maguhn. Maguhn will once again be gunning for votes this time around and you know what, Ken? He’s a pretty nice guy. Not sure if he can frame a house or book Del Barber but Maguhn’s a go-getter, boyscout type. He’s not afraid of rapping on doors until his knuckles bleed and I watched the dude woo some folks from Orange to Red, just so ya know. It was minus a million out and he just kept on going, being earnest and likeable and seemingly enjoying himself. Weird, I know!

Ken, this is not an endorsement for you (sorry) or any of the other four candidates running in Yellowhead this time around (there’s a Green and a Libertarian, too, in case you care). This is simply a request, from the local newspaperman to the local candidate, to please stop renovating your client’s homes for a month, and start building your home base.

bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com

*Me. Just me.

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Local exploration //

page B1 // the jasper local // issue 57 // tuesday, september 15, 2015

Caribou antlers found near the border of Jasper National Park and Mount Robson Provincial park could offer clues for paleo-environment scientists hoping to understand modern day ecology.// Mike Donnelly

Discovered artifact could come from ancient hunters cial Park are cautiously optimistic that a knotted strip of leather will prove to be thousands of years old.

“We have pretty good reason to believe it’s prehistoric,” said Todd Kristensen, from Alberta’s Archaeology Survey.

In August, researchers visited Jasper’s Tonquin Valley and neighbouring Barbican Pass, just over the provincial border. As reported by The Jasper Local last month, Kristensen’s team was using Archaeologists working on the border of Jasper caribou movement data from Parks Canada and National Park and B.C.’s Mount Robson Provinthe 2009 discoveries of 2,500-year-old wooden shafts in hopes they would uncover any significant artifacts which may give them clues as to who was using the area and what they were doing there.

“We’re trying to figure out where people were hunting caribou by going to the areas the caribou target,” Kristensen told the Local August 15.

And now, with the discovery of a leather strip, it seems they may have done just that.

“We feel really lucky,” he said. “It could be from a snare or a moccasin.”

Or it could be something dropped by Todd Kristensen of Alberta’s Archaeology survey (left) is looka European 100 years ago. Interesting, ing for clues to ancient hunter patterns in Jasper. // M Donnelly perhaps, but not significant for archae-

It wasn’t exactly a needle in a haystack, but a leather strip on an ice patch comes pretty close.

ologists trying to find answers about thousandyear-old First Nations cultures. Still, even if the strip is determined by carbon-dating to be “young,” other discoveries the team made are rich in possibilities for related scientific fields.

Ancient caribou antlers and petrified wood found above treeline could provide clues for biologists, climatologists and those who study the paleoenvironment, Kristensen said..

“If we can start to get a handle on what’s happened in the past we can start to get an idea of what’s going to happen in the future,” he said.

The leather strip was spotted by researcher Courtney Lakevold while combing the edges of an ice patch which the team knew was frequented by caribou. Based on similar explorations in the arctic, the scientists were following the ancient movements of caribou in hopes they’d find information about the people who may have hunted them. Kristensen knows, however, that in the Northwest Territories and the Yukon, often times This leather strip was found by archaeologists on a recent trip near the Tonquin Valley.

years can go by without any new discoveries.

“To find an artifact right away here is very exciting,” he said.

Adding to the potential excitement, the team discovered what they think could be a spiritual “vision quest” site in the same general area. At the site, a distinct, human-fashioned rock wall faces the Ramparts. It’s possible that the wall could represent a spiritually-important place to local First Nations cultures, however, more work needs to be done to verify the age of the wall’s geological features and attached lichen life. Like the leather strip, the feature could be thousands of years old and represent a part of First Nations culture science knows very little about...or it could be nothing. Kristensen hopes to consult with First Nations groups to “see if we can connect those communities’ oral history with some of the things we found.”

Stay tuned to The Jasper Local as this story develops.

Bob Covey //bob@thejasperlocal.com

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Local wildlife//

tuesday, september 15, 2015 // issue 57 //the jasper local// page B2

Idea to keep wildlife out of trees bearing fruit Mel Hindle wants to give bears every opportunity to stay alive.

In that aim, Hindle is coordinating a community harvest of Jasper’s fruit trees— an effort to reduce the amount of attractants in town, thereby preempting furry fall foragers from climbing into trouble.

“It comes down to attractant management,” she said.

Every fall, hundreds of apple, chokecherry, mountain ash and other ornamental trees change from attractive to attractant. As the flowers fade and the fruit ripens, bears are lured into town by the tantalizing caloric opportunity.

“Bears are in mass-eating mode this time of year,” Hindle said. “Depending on the species, they eat between 15,000 and 20,000 calories per day.”

Hindle works with bears as part of her job.

But the initiative to harvest Jasper’s fruit is a personal mission.

“I’ve lived in a few communities that are in bear country,” she said. “I don’t think we

bear 194: a fed bear, and unfortunately, because it became habituated to fruit trees, a dead bear. // supplied

should take the onus off the homeowner, but it seems like something the community should be able to help with.”

Last week, Hindle started matching volunteer pickers with trees. She’s already got a long list of addresses where fruit has historically attracted bears; now she just needs the picking power. And time is of the essence.

“A fed bear is a dead bear, that adage is totally true,” she said.

Last month, Parks Canada had to deal with a repeat backyard Jasper’s Mel Hindle is organizing a town harvest of attractants. // bob covey burglar. Bear 194, as it towards the townsite. was known to wildlife officials, first started “It was sad, for sure,” Malcolm said. “You get showing up in people’s backyards last year. a little attached to these guys…especially “They’re masters of opportunity,” said when you’re putting energy into keeping wildlife conflict specialist Steve Malcolm. them alive.”

“This bear was persistently accessing fruit Hindle knows that the best thing to do to trees. She was in people’s yards everyday.” keep bears alive is to remove what’s bringing Eventually, Parks Canada staff immobilized, the bears into danger in the first place. But tagged and moved Bear 194 out of town. harvesting all of the apples around town— However, this spring, she came back.

“She started near Lake Edith and around the let alone finding a good use for them—isn’t beginning of August had squirted in towards a small job. She’s hoping some keen and creative folks will get in touch with her to the CN yard,” Malcolm said. “Then she help shoulder some of the burden. ended up creeping into town at night.”

“It seems like such a shame to jeopardize the Using “stressing” techniques (paintball life of a bear for a couple of apples,” she said. guns, noise), last month, wildlife officials To help remove wildlife attractants, or to moved her out of Jasper. But then a report report a fruit-laden tree in Jasper, call or text came that Bear 194 had been hit and killed Hindle, 780-931-2322. by a car as she tried to make her way back Bob Covey //bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page b3+B4 // the jasper local // issue 57 // tuesday, september 15, 2015

LOCAL FEATURE // TOUR OF ALBERTA // STORY AND PHOTOS BY BOB CO

Tour of Alberta: Motorc

A BRIEF SNAPSHOT OF PRO CYCLING CULTUR

“IS that dude…peeing?”

The Tour of Alberta’s whirlwind visit to Jasper National Park wrapped up September 5 and while the spectacle of Canada’s biggest professional cycling event left many lasting impressions, there’s one vision I can’t get out of my head: that of a lycra-clad rider answering nature’s call…without stopping his bike!

With his teammate providing two-wheeled stability and, presumably, moral support, this flexible fellow was somehow able to relieve himself while negotiating the bladder-bumping ruts and rocks on Highway 93A, at 30 km/hr.

“That was impressive,” I said to my motorcycle driver, John Colyer, who scooted his BMW R1200GS around the peloton with daring grace.

I learned a lot about professional cycling during the 45 minutes or so that I cruised along with the racers as one part of a two-man photomoto team. I got an idea of the insane pace at which the peloton moves; I learned a bit about the strategies employed by the racing teams to give their strongest riders a chance to win; and I got a taste of cycling culture—the etiquette and the behind-the-scenes efforts involved in a sport in which athletes compete against each other but who also ride together.

“Here they come, hold on!”

John is shouting to me over the wind to me as we descend the first hill of Stage Four, the picturesque slope adjacent to Beckers’ Chalets. I’m trying to get “the shot,” attempting to frame the lead riders while capturing the sparkling Athabasca River over their shoulder and Pyramid Mountain in the background. As such, I’ve asked John to slow down the bike, but I can tell he’s uncomfortable as the peloton approaches.

“They’re going to be on us, we gotta go,” he says.

Sure enough, just as I’m turning my body to face forward there are riders all around us. One athlete has been “drafting” us—using our slipstream to reduce the wind resistance he has to pedal against— and when he bursts around us in an explosion of speed, I’m caught off guard.

“That was insane,” I mutter as Colyer feeds gas to the engine to keep ahead of the pack.

The pace of the group never ceases to surprise me.

Even as they climb up the steep Portal Creek hill, my camera’s autofocus can barely track them as they charge. At one point we stop so I can frame a scene at Leitch Lake, where Jasper’s Wild Current Outfitters are cheering from a canoe. Well ahead of the group, I take the time to tighten a polarizing filter onto my lens. Suddenly I’m caught off guard as the swell of bright jerseys flows into view. First come the course marshals on motorcycles, then the primary TV broadcaster motos, then the pack of more than 100 riders, then the support vehicles, race officials and fellow photomotos. They all whiz by me in less than 15 seconds, mere inches from where I depress the shutter.

As the peloton soars past, in its wake is a familiar, yet out-of-place, reverberation. It sounds like the hubbub at the back of the Legion during the first concert of the winter, when all the locals who haven’t seen each other in five months are catching up, to the consternation of those who are actually there to hear the artist. I realize that the cyclists are talking amongst each other—and not just talking, but gabbing. I can’t make out what they’re saying, but I remember overhearing fellow photographer and pro cycling aficionado, Jasperite Jeff Bartlett, interview team Jelly Belly rider Fred Rodriguez about the debate that took place during the previous day’s stage: the riders were considering stopping the race because of cold. Rodriguez confirmed that it was discussed at length, but they decided to tough it out. What struck me was not that such a topic would be broached, but that it would be possible for 120 riders to converse so thoughtfully while barrelling down the highway at 60 km/hr.

“It’s like a Sunday ride for them at that point of the race,” explained cycling enthusiast Laurie Schnieder, from Michigan. “Until they start the breakaways, they’re barely breaking a sweat.”

Ah yes, the breakaways; another concept I didn’t understand until I was watching the Tour from the back of John’s motorcycle, and then later on the

JumboTron the peloton m zone near H told him how informed me kilometres a guys aren’t i snapped off Kerkeslin. “W

If I thought I by racing ah the leaders a breakaway c could hold th I understood in” the break so dramatica of Jasper Na of riders able headwind, an of riders wor than a small alone. It took the breakawa Marmot Bas leaders.

“Logan Owe nouncers cal breakaway w crossing the

For all of its the peloton i learned. Whe a result of the nel all vying rest of the pe righted hims athlete ran ou competing te the spent bot And while it’s another urina monly, when any longer, th

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feature //

BOB COVEY

orcycle Diaries

ULTURE FROM THE BACK OF A PHOTOMOTO

“It’s like a sunday ride at that point. Until they start the breakaways they hardly sweat.”

umboTron at Marmot Basin. As we photographed he peloton making their way through the feed one near Horseshoe Lake, John, whose earpiece old him how the leaderboard was stacking up, nformed me that the lead cyclists were in fact three ilometres ahead. I was shocked. “You mean these uys aren’t in the lead?” I yelled rhetorically, as I napped off a dozen shots backdropped by Mount Kerkeslin. “Well then, let’s get up there!”

I thought I’d be photographing the winners y racing ahead of the peloton for a glimpse of he leaders after 50 km, I was as mistaken as the reakaway cyclists themselves who hoped they ould hold their position all day. As a fisherman, understood the concept of the peloton “reeling n” the breakaways, but I’d never imagined it quite o dramatically as what unfolded on the highways f Jasper National Park. The peloton, with dozens f riders able to trade the burden of pushing the eadwind, and being comprised of several teams f riders working together, is much more efficient han a small group of cyclists trying to go at it lone. It took all three laps around 93/93A to catch he breakaway, but by the time they started up the Marmot Basin Road, the peloton had reeled in the eaders.

Logan Owen is going to be caught,” the anouncers called out as the peloton absorbed the reakaway which had led all day (Owen ended up rossing the finish 52nd).

or all of its inevitable breakaway dream-crushing, he peloton is also an empathetic organism, I earned. When a rider crashed in the feed zone area, result of the chaos of support vehicles and personel all vying for the best spot on the pavement, the est of the peloton waited until the fallen rider had ghted himself before proceeding earnestly. When an thlete ran out of fluids, I saw another cyclist from a ompeting team give him his bottle (never mind that he spent bottles were tossed directly into the woods).

And while it’s not unusual for teammates to help one nother urinate en route, as mentioned, more commonly, when a few riders determine they can’t hold it ny longer, the whole peloton will pull over.

The Tour of Alberta in Jasper was a success on many levels: the international stage it granted this community and the park; the coordinated efforts of agencies, organizations and individuals involved; and the festivities surrounding the start and finish lines during two incredible days of hosting 120 of the world’s best athletes—no matter what a few missed sales might mean. For me, however, what I’ll remember most fondly is what I could glean about cycling culture; namely, that even though they’re competitors, pro cyclists not only have each other’s backs, but each other’s bladders, too.

Bob Covey //bob@thejasperlocal.com

Bob Covey //bob@thejasperlocal.com

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page B5 // the jasper local //issue 57 // tuesday, september 15, 2015

local dining //

Business owners give patio pilot two thumbrellas up

Server Swantje Pleister said sidewalk seating was smooth for customers, staff and pedestrians at Papa George’s Restuarant. At right, Alex Madley charms her New York Guests. // bob covey

“There’s one thing I love to do on vacation, and that’s eating outside.”

It’s Saturday, September 12 and Patty Scott from Buffalo, New York, is in her glory. The sun is shining, her beer is cold and her server, Alex Madley, just put down a plate of nachos for her and her husband to enjoy.

The Scotts were giving their ringing endorsement to a one-season experiment by the Municipality of Jasper and participating restaurants to pilot sidewalk seating in the downtown core.

“It’s great. We don’t get to do it much at home,” she said.

This past May, the pilot project was conceived as a way for the town to try out the concept of sidewalk seating while Jasper administrators figured out a process to allow for the commercial use of public land. If the pilot went well, it was thought, the opportunity for business owners to take over part of the sidewalks on Connaught Drive and Patricia Street could be made more permanent.

“We want to hear what people have to say,” said Mark Fercho, CAO for the town. The municipality will provide feedback forms for restaurants and Fercho is hoping the public speaks up, too.

In the meantime, for the businesses who talked to The Local, sidewalk seating gets two thumbrellas-up.

“We have nothing but good things to say about it,” said Alex Derksen, co-owner of the Jasper Brew Pub, where the Scotts were enjoying their patio beers.

“It’s been great,” Northface Pizza’s Brady Bangle agreed.

“No issues,” said Papa George’s Swantje Pleister.

Despite fears of butts landing in breakfast wraps, menus blowing over Roche Bonhomme and seats competing with strollers and scooters for sidewalk space, the restaurants involved learned how to give their customers an outdoor eating experience without service suffering, said Pleister.

“We have a nice set up,” she said.

PapaG’s four tables are tastefully fenced in with log railings; the Brew Pub was able to fit 32 sidewalk seats because their building is set back from the property line. Northface Pizza’s set up is more humble—two

picnic tables comprise their patio. But overall, sidewalk congestion on Connaught was a non-issue, those polled said.

“I think everyone thought there’d be a bottleneck,” Derksen said. “This proved it was manageable.”

In front of Patricia Street’s Coco’s Café, sidewalk real estate is a bit more limited. Owner Lynn Wannop tried a couple of different versions of patio seating before she (and the municipality) were satisfied that she could serve her customers without affecting pedestrian traffic.

“I love it,” she said. “It’s been awesome.”

There was some static on Facebook. Naysayers suggested—unkindly, at times—that Coco’s setup was too encroaching on walking space. But Wannop was playing by the rules: she moved bike racks and ensured there was at least 1.8 metres of space between her patio and the curb. “The municipality has been great to work with,” she said.

Did we miss your feedback on sidewalk seating? Email letters@thejasperlocal.com Bob Covey //bob@thejasperlocal.com

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Local education//

Lessons in gratitude as teacher gets back to basics Shawn Arsenault loves his job as a teacher.

So much so that he spent part of his summer teaching in classrooms halfway around the world.

“The experience itself was amazing,” said the Jasper Elementary School teacher of his recent trip to Africa.

Arsenault was one of 16 teachers from Canada, four from Alberta, who were selected to participate in Me To We, an organization which, among other goals, helps to better educate children around the world and give individuals a chance to experience another culture through hands-on experience.

Arsenault spent two and a half weeks in Kenya and in that time had the opportunity to teach a Grade 5 class, the same age group that he works with here in Jasper. The most obvious difference between the two educational settings was the lack of technology, he said.

“Even textbooks are pretty rare there,” Arsenault said. “Kids mostly take notes, listen to the teacher, and repeat what the the teacher says.” Arsenault noted that children often had to share pencils with their classmates because resources were so limited.

Class sizes were another difference that Arsenault had to adjust to. The class he worked with in Kenya had 77 students, compared to the 24 he teaches in Jasper.

However, he reflected that the students’ attitudes made the learning environment productive.

“Over there, it was really just about having a simple, basic lesson and they would really enjoy themselves.

Shawn arsenault spent 20 days teaching in Kenya this past summer. // Supplied There’s 77 kids and you could hear a needle drop that entailed fetching water for one of the local in the classroom. It was eye-opening to see how families. Women in the area of the country that kids there value education,” he said of his Kenyan Arsenault visited often walk up to six kilometres students. round trip to bring water into their homes. They haul water in twenty litre jugs that they have to When Arsenault wasn’t teaching, he was helping carry with straps across their foreheads. to lay the foundation of a new schoolhouse. The heavy work included hauling water from the closest water source to the site where the concrete was being mixed.

Arsenault also participated in several cultural activities while in Kenya, including a water walk

“It was one of my favourite moments when we got back with the water and the woman said that we had given her a two day break because we had gotten all that water for her family,” Arsenault said.

Brittany Carl //brittany@thejasperlocal.com

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Local history //

tuesday, september 15, 2015 // issue 57 // the jasper local// page B6

Great tunes, good peeps and mountain vistas TORONTO’S PICK BROS BAND ROCKED SATURDAY

COZYING UP TO HARRY MANX IN THE RAIN (THANKS FOR THE LIFT, PAUL MCPHEE!) WHAT’S IN THE BAG, CHARLIE FINLEY?

THE STONE MOUNTAINEERS LIFTING THE SUNDAY CROWD

COORDINATORS EMILY, CRISTIN AND PEGGY

FOLK FEST VETERAN SCOTT CRABBE AND JR.

SAM SPADES HOMECOMING

QUINN WILSON LIKING WHAT SHE’S HEARING.

“BY CHOOSING THIS WEEKEND IN SEPTEMBER WE REALLY WANTED THIS FESTIVAL TO BE FOR JASPER,” SAID JFMF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR CRISTIN MURPHY. “WE WANTED IT TO BE FOR FAMILIES.“ // BOB COVEY

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