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
Friday, january 1, 2016 // issue 64
2015 year in review
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editorial //
page A2 // the jasper local // issue 64 // friday, january 1, 2016
Local Vocal
2015 is in the books. Done. Finito. She gone.
AS THE NEW YEAR UNFURLS BEFORE US, IT’S A GOOD TIME TO TAKE STOCK OF WHAT HAS BEEN, AND WHAT WE HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE. I’m talking ‘bout a resolution, baby. Here is a list of what dreams may come, if our fellow Jasperites stick to their guns.
It’s not just athletes who are trying to stick to their resolutions in the new year, however. Artists will be equally as inspired to take their trade to the next level. In 2016 keep your eye on Chef Jason Munn’s Twitter feed, which will surely alert followers when his intimate bistro serves 100 discerning diners in a single night. That’s a lot of sauté pans!
In the spirit of physical motivation, we hope someone will pick up where Joe Urie’s brainchild, The December Project, left off, and get Jasperites moving in the new year. It helps to have a bit of positive peer pressure to inspire a daily blast of exercise. If we are going to improve the concept, however, we’d resolve to post less and practice more. Here’s hoping 2016 is the year that Facebook fitness selfies fade to black.
Speaking of hot items, waltz on down to the Liquor Lodge if you want a lesson on the season’s most coveted spirits. Our bet is that owner Marc Leblanc will have a soaring soliloquy on why he’s resolving in 2016 to bring in more of the Whiskey Bible’s best of 2015.
It’s important we take care of our mental health as we move forward, too. January is a tough time for many—the postholiday blues kick in, and the feeling is exacerbated for many of those who are far away from family during what’s traditionally a time to reunite with our loved ones. If you feel like you need to chat, a good place to start is at the Community Outreach Services office. Outreach Worker Patrick Mooney always has an open door, but he also has an open disdain of cold temperatures! It’s our opinion that Patrick—and whoever else is feeling the January chill—should resolve to get himself a woollen onesie. As long as we’re in in the market for new underwear, we better take a big picture look at our 2016 finances. Those of us who are less mathematically-inclined will soon see the benefits add up of taking a basic budgeting course with the folks at the Jasper Adult Learning Centre. Program Coordinator Valerie Bartziokas will be happy to point you in the right direction, because, after all, she knows something about numbertracking. We suspect she’ll up the ante on her century of summer trail running and make a a goal of 1,500 kms-underfoot in 2016. The female trail runners in Jasper are a force to be reckoned with.
letter to the Minister of Environment which vows to “protect our National Parks by limiting development within them.” Surely Jill Seaton and the Jasper Environmental Association surely won’t forget.
What many of us would like more of in the first part of 2016, is snow. Perhaps none more than the marketing team at Marmot Basin. This dry spell we’ve been having is so last year, right Erin Reade? Not to worry. If clear skies persist, Brian Rode will surely show you his snow dance. We’ve got to wonder if a bit of voodoo shouldn’t be implemented to prick the interminably delayed library and cultural centre project into production. Mayor Richard Ireland surely has to wonder if the hex will be lifted in the newest annum, but at this rate, he and council likely aren’t holding their breath. Stay tuned for 2017 predictions. The next 12 months will be a big year for Parks Canada, as the change in government will start to be seen in far flung field units such as Jasper. Our hope is that the new, hunky PM will remember the part of his mandate
Fire Chief Greg Van Tighem hasn’t forgotten a request he put in for funding for another position. He informed council five years ago that the municipality’s protective services could use another body to alleviate the pressure he and deputy Don Smith face, so it’s not like this 2016 wish list just got whipped up. On a fire safety note, both chiefs are rooting for all you smokers to quit this year. Janet Cooper, who runs the environmental services program shared by Parks and the town, is hoping 2016 is the year of the transfer station transfer. If things go according to plan, Parks Canada and the municipality will make a deal that will have Jasper reducing, reusing and recycling more efficiently in the future. Over here at The Jasper Local, we, too, are looking forward to the future as never before. Big changes are on the horizon for us, as soon the newspaper won’t be the only little beast we have to feed. Yes it’s true, Nicole and I are expecting a baby in the spring. We feel so fortunate to live in such a supportive, unique and beautiful community. Our resolutions for 2016 are to embrace the love that Jasper spreads so heartily, to be the best new parents we can be and always, to keep calm and Local on. bob covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
The Jasper Local //
Jasper’s independent alternative newspaper 780.852.9474 • thejasperlocal.com • po box 2046, jasper ab, t0e 1e0
Published on the 1st and 15th of each month Editor / Publisher
Bob Covey..........................................................................................bob@thejasperlocal.com Art Director
Nicole Gaboury........................................................................nicole@thejasperlocal.com Advertising + sales
sarah DeClercq.........................................................................sarah@thejasperlocal.com
cartoonist
deke......................................................................................................deke@thejasperlocal.com facebook.com/thejasperlocal
@thejasperlocal
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2015 best of deke //
friday, january 1, 2016 // issue 64 // the jasper local// page A3
2015 Best of Deke As much as we in the editorial room like to think our stunning photos, engaging stories and witty headlines grab readers’ attention, there’s no doubt that Deke always gets the first // JAN. 15, 2015
// MAY 15, 2015
// JULY 15, 2015
read. Deke endears himself to his audience by drawing it like he sees it. In 2015, Jasper’s favourite satirist had plenty of inspiration to draw on. Here are a few of our favourites ‘toons. // APRIL 15, 2015
// JUNE 15, 2015
// SEPT. 15, 2015
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looking back at 2015 //
page B1 // the jasper local // issue 64 // friday, january 1, 2016
J a n u a r y 2015 The new year started off in exciting fashion for a Washington man who just wanted to stretch his legs. The visitor was taking his dog for a stroll at Old Fort Point when a young cougar pounced on the pup. The incident was one of several in a month of close calls with cougars in and around the Jasper townsite. Wildlife officials tracked and collared two juvenile animals over the course of several weeks. Unfortunately, just as Parks Canada was satisfied the cats were growing up and moving into non-human-occupied territory, one of the cougars met its untimely end: it was hit by a train. THIS JUVENILE MALE COUGAR WAS TRACKED, TREED AND COLLARED // MARK BRADLEY 2014
Happily, it wasn’t all sad wildlife news in January. At Marmot Basin, a group of eight caribou were spotted galloping up the ski slopes of Charlie’s Bowl. The rare appearance by members of the Tonquin herd was coincidental in the sense that it prefaced Parks Canada’s much-anticipated winter closures by five days. One animal, dubbed Frankie Thunderbowl by Marmot Basin staff, remained at the resort for much of the season. Will he make an appearance in 2016? Only time will tell.
IMPECCABLE TIMING // FIVE CARIBOU, BELIEVED TO BE MEMBERS OF THE TONQUIN VALLEY HERD IN JASPER NATIONAL PARK, BOUND UP THE RUN CALLED T BAR RIDGE AT MARMOT BASIN. JUST AS THE FIRST SKIERS AND SNOWBOARDERS WERE UNLOADING AT THE TOP OF THE MOUNTAIN, EIGHT CARIBOU WERE SPOTTED NEAR THE POPULAR CHARLIE’S BOWL AREA. SKI PATROL CORDONED OFF THE AREA AS THE ANIMALS MOVED QUICKLY UP THE SLOPE AND INTO A NORTH FACING, RARELY-OPENED RUN CALLED OUTER LIMITS, WHICH DRAINS INTO WHISTLERS’ CREEK. FIVE DAYS LATER, AS HAD BEEN ANTICIPATED SINCE EARLY NOVEMBER, WHISTLERS’ CREEK WAS CLOSED TO RECREATIONAL USERS AS PART OF CONSERVATION MEASURES TO PROTECT THE ICONIC SPECIES IN JASPER NATIONAL PARK. // BOB COVEY
F E B R U a r y 2015 Tourism Jasper unveiled its new marketing campaign, we reported February 1. Venture Beyond is meant to lure adventurers of all levels to the basecamp of Jasper, from which they can then explore the surrounding park. The slogan didn’t resonate for everyone, however; Alice Lettner admitted she didn’t hold a marketing degree when she made this memorable quip: “I’m not sure about Venture Beyond. To where? Valemount?” Tragedy struck a beloved family when the home of the Han family was engulfed by flames. The incident served to remind Jasperites of the dedication and skill of our emergency services volunteers as well as what really matters during times of hardship.
ON FEBRUARY 3 A FIRE AT 801 GEIKIE ST. QUICKLY GAINED INTENSITY, KNOCKING THE AREA’S POWER OUT AND CONSUMING THE GARAGE. // BOB COVEY
“Those things I lost are just things,” said Dale Han, who was in the house when the fire started.
expressed similar sentiments.
His father, “Grandpa” Dong Han
“You have to experience bad things or you
don’t understand what is the bright side,” he said.
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// Looking back at 2015
friday, january 1, 2016 // issue 64 //the jasper local// page B2
M A R C H 2015 Two unique festivals took place in Jasper in March, both of which help put Jasper on the map for discerning visitors as well as giving locals an opportunity to showcase what makes our area of the world unique. The Jasper Pride Festival is a chance for Jasper to show the LGBT community that Jasper is not only a safe space, but a celebratory place. The fifth annual festival was prouder than ever, featuring, among other fabulous highlights, dogsled tours, dinner theatre, drag shows and dress up days at Marmot Basin.
The Ascend Splitboard Festival rose to new heights in 2015, too, as a dozen or so backcountry enthusiasts joined local mountain guides to explore Jasper’s winter offer. The burgeoning festival’s growth has mirrored that of the sport’s: slow and steady. “I’ve definitely seen a change in Jasper when it comes to splitboarding [since the festival],” said mountain guide Matt Reynolds. “You can hear the vibe.”
GROUP STOKE//ASCEND PARTICIPANTS SHARED THE MAGIC OF THE MOUNTAINS // DUSTIN LECLERC, ROAD TO NOWHERE PHOTOGRAPHY
A P R I L 2015 In April Jasper’s fatbiking, fundraising fire chief, Greg Van Tighem, was in the middle of his most epic journey to-date.
in his mission to raise awareness and money for the fight against Multiple Schlorosis. The chief relied on his beefy gear, sharp wits and the kindness of those he met to survive the
Starting near Dawson City and
extreme weather.
ending almost 900 ice-crusted,
“There were a couple times when
wind-blown kilometres later, on the
I was in the middle of nowhere,
Arctic Coast’s Tuktoyaktuk, GVT
cold and wet, and it wasn’t a good
battled blizzards and brutal hills
situation.”
TOUGH SLEDDING//GREG VAN TIGHEM BATTLED WIND, SNOW DRIFTS AND RODENTS DURING HIS RECENT DEMPSTER HIGHWAY END-TO-END TO END MS FAT BIKE ADVENTURE.// MIRJAM WOUTERS
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page b3+B4 // the jasper local // issue 64 // friday, january 1, 2016
LOOKING BACK AT 2015 //
M A y 2015 Restaurants stood up for sidewalk seating in the spring of 2015, voicing their support for a one-year pilot project which allows for the use of public sidewalks for private use. Despite The Jasper Local’s prediction that pedestrians’ bums would land in diners’ breakfast wraps and that Jasper’s summer storms would make for the things of maitre-d’s’ nightmares, the experiment, according to most restaurant operators a few months later, went swimmingly. A group of pilots including former Jasper boy,
FORMER JASPERITE AND ETERNAL RAD DUDE WILL GADD CL
J U N E 2015 In June, The Jasper Local reported on the roaring success of the Vine Creek prescribed fire. Taking the heat off of vegetation managers, smoke on Mount Greenock had been a long time coming. After 11 years of planning, a perfect combination of fuel moisture levels, wind and weather patterns came together to enable the burning of 500 hectares of forest. The project helped restore the area to what it would look like had it been left in its natural state, thereby creating less of a wildfire hazard and putting a significant roadblock in the easterly spread of mountain pine beetle. Marmot Basin rolled out its Long Range Plans in June, thet
// HELICOPTERS DRIPPING FLAMMABLE LIQUI AS PART OF PARKS CANADA’S VINE CREEK PRE
J U L Y 2015
On June 11, Dr. John was fired from Park no stated reason fr as Resource Conser of the Jasper Natio Unit. On July 1, The Jasper L
WILMSHURST AT THE VINE CREEK PRESCRIBED FIRE // B. COVEY
the local fallout. While news of residents, it also inspired a nati from members of the scientific federal election, more than 40 f out in the form of a letter to opp
A u g u s t 2015 Industry pressure and local lobbying helped the Edson Airport take a necessary first step toward accepting commercial flights. Obtaining the authorization was a significant hurdle in giving Edson the capability to accept commercial air traffic, which can only mean long-term benefits for Jasper, according to Mayor Richard Ireland. Now the focus for tourism and resource industry stakeholders will be to take the next steps toward scheduled flights from larger airlines. “We will go back to see how they can be enticed to fly a new service into Edson,” Ireland said.
After a July accident involving a c students on horseback, the Jasper Park Cycling Association spearhea most popular bike trails.
The tail end of Water Tower, which Bench and opens up into a grassy Slough, underwent a fairly major m
The reroute addressed safety conce opportunity to do create something bush and brambles is a buffed trac and gaps—should a cyclist so choo
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feature //
Will Gadd, made history on May 9 when they made the inaugural paragliding flight in Jasper National Park. Two weeks previous, new recreational guidelines for Canada’s mountain parks were approved. Soaring from Whistlers’ Mountain, the group was excited to show that paragliding is light on the land. “Of all the things I do in the national park this has the lowest impact,” said Gadd, an internationally renown ice climber and National Geographic’s 2015 Adventurer of the Year. AIMED ANOTHER FIRST: PARAGLIDING IN JNP // BOB COVEY
IDS HELPED MOUNT GREENOCK IGNITE ESCRIBED BURN MAY 23.// BOB COVEY
n Wilmshurst ks Canada for rom his position rvation Manager onal Park Field
Local reported on some of his dismissal shocked Jasper ional outpouring of support community. During the 2015 former public servants spoke position parties. In it they
result of more than 10 years of working with Parks Canada and other national park ski hills to draft ski hill management policy. The new plans identify increased snowmaking capacity, glading, improvements to the lower chalet and expansions to the parking lots. However, not everyone is as satisfied as former superintendent Greg Fenton, who said the guidelines “lay out tangible measures for contributing to the maintenance of ecological integrity.” Jill Seaton of the Jasper Environmental Association said the deal at the heart of the LRP—a 118 hectare lease reduction involving lands located in caribou habitat—is a linguistic sleight-of-hand which Parks Canada shouldn’t have to barter with. “This is land that’s always been protected,” she said.
decried the muzzling of scientists and urged politicians to operate with more governmental transparency. On July 9, more than a week after a lightning storm in Jasper’s Maligne Valley, hot, dry conditions helped bring a smouldering fire in the Excelsior Creek area to life. “The conditions woke a sleeping giant,” said fire and vegetation specialist Dave Smith. The response was immediate. More than 1,000 day users and nearly 60 backcountry users were evacuated from the area. The effort in coordination and collaboration was a roaring success.
cyclist and four high school r Trail Alliance and the Jasper aded a rerouting of one of Jasper’s
h starts high on the Pyramid hummock above Cottonwood makeover.
erns, but also offered an g new. Today, what used to be ck with rock rolls, whoop-de-doos ose to ride them.
RAKING IT IN // WARREN VAN ASTEN, VIET TIEU AND DARREN LANGLEY WERE AMONG A DOZEN TRAIL VOLUNTEERS WHO PITCHED THEIR TIME AND ENERGY TO HELP RE-ROUTE A DANGEROUS SECTION OF WATER TOWER. // BOB COVEY
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page B5 // the jasper local //issue 64 // friday, january 1, 2016
Looking back at 2015 //
s e p t e m b e r 2015 On September 7, Jasper National Park’s top administrator, Greg Fenton, stepped down. Fenton, who had been Jasper’s superintendent since 2007, accepted another Parks Canada assignment as Special Advisor to Development Regulations. Fenton was replaced by Alan Fehr, who acted in the position when Fenton took a fivemonth leave starting November 2014. The Tour of Alberta came to Jasper like a million pine beetles on a fresh forest: it
flew in, ate everything in sight and moved onto the next host. The post-mortem inspired some debate on whether or not closing down the downtown was a good idea or not, but one thing’s for sure, it was a huge production that garnered Jasper a lot of impressions to an international audience.
THE TOUR OF ALBERTA CAME TO TOWN IN SEPTEMBER. // JEFF BARTLETT
The mountain stages provided the dramatic, made-for-TV finishes that organizers could only hope for and the collaboration between agencies and organizations to pull it off
was world-class. It hardly mattered to most spectators which cyclist or what team was leading the pack, rather, it was exciting that Jasper was playing ringmaster to such an incredible circus.
o c t o b e r 2015 In October, we were excited to report that an ancient leather strap discovered near the border of Jasper National Park was carbon dated to a point in time 100 years before Europeans were in Alberta. The process of discovery was the coolest part about the story: following the lead of other expeditions in the Northwest Territories and Alaska, archaeologists decided to look for artifacts based on where they knew caribou travelled. Ancient hunters, they reasoned, would have followed the caribou onto the ice patches where caribou seek refuge from predators and bugs. The discovery of the 270-year-old strap seemed to have confirmed their hunch. It also gives the scientists hope there could be more artifacts to be found on the ice patches of Jasper National Park, Mount Robson Provincial Park and Wilmore Wilderness Park.
Service Directory
Released in October, results of a 2014 population study of grizzly bears in and around Jasper National Park show that bear numbers have increased by seven per cent, per year, in the last 10 years. The authors of the study estimate there are approximately 74 bears in Bear Management Area Three, a 10,000 square kilometre area east of JNP and south Campus pass, in Jasper’s tonquin valley, at dusk// tristan nissen of Highway 16. In 2004, impacts, destroyed problem bears and the scientists concluded poaching. there were 36 bears in the same area. Paradoxically, landscape alterations from industry outside of the park have created good habitat for bears. However, those access points also increase human-caused mortalities among bears, such as vehicle
The takeaway, lead author Gord Stenhouse says, is that more bears may not equal healthier bears. And also, that with a grizzly hunt moratorium (enacted in 2006), bears can survive in a fragmented landscape.
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looking back at 2015 //
friday, january 1, 2016 // issue 64 // the jasper local// page B6
n o v e m b e r 2015 Yellowhead MP Jim Eglinski held onto his seat in Ot tawa, but in most ridings across the country, Canadians gave the Conservative government the boot. “We were shocked to see the numbers come in from Eastern Canada early on,” Eglinski said. But the former RCMP officer, mayor and pilot wasn’t going to let the change in government stop him from attending to his constituents’ needs. Futhermore, moving forward, he said, meant looking for opportunities to collaborate with the Liberals. “Building relationships is going to be very important over the next little while.” The author of a much anticipated book on local rock climbing was feeling the Jasper
love in November when his Kickstarter campaign reached its humble goal of $5,000 in just a few short days of its posting. Francios Laplante spent the last three years researching, sketching, photographing and visiting every known rock route in the park. “There was so much more out there than I realized,” he said.
JASPERITE FRANCOIS LAPLANTE HAS STARTED A KICKSTARTER CAMPAIGN TO HELP FUND HIS
JASPER ROCK CLIMBING GUIDEBOOK, NORTHERN EXPOSURE.// BOB COVEY Compiling it all in a 270-plus page, full excellent climbing to “the masses” is colour guidebook has farfetched, Laplante said. been a labour of love for Laplante. “There is such huge potential here. This Some may balk at revealing Jasper’s hidden place could have twice as many routes as it gems, but the idea of opening up the area’s does.”
d e c e m b e r 2015 Brewster Travel Canada will purchase Maligne Tours, the owner of Maligne Tours Ltd. confirmed to The Jasper Local. While the sale was not yet complete on December 12, Gerry Levasseeur said a deal is imminent. “It’s in the works,” he said. In 2013, Maligne Tours proposed constructing a 66-room “heritage” hotel to replace the current day lodge, along with 15 tent cabins. Parks Canada had rejected the hotel element of the proposal but said administration would consider the tent cabin component. Levasseur pointed to the rejection of the hotel proposal as the reason he’s making the sale. “I wanted to do a development there and it didn’t work so I decided to move on,” he said.
IN DECEMBER MALIGNE TOURS WAS MAKING A DEAL TO SELL TO BREWSTER TRAVEL CANADA. // BOB COVEY