Jasper Municipal Council to consider expanding Jasper Transit

Parks Canada wants Jasper Transit services to extend to Maligne Canyon.

In a February 9 letter to the Municipality of Jasper, Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr said that Parks Canada is trying to encourage alternative modes of transportation to Jasper’s most-visited locations, including Maligne Canyon.

“Parks Canada would like to see a decreased reliance on the use of personal vehicles to access these locations, and increased use of alternative modes of transportation like mass transit,” the letter states.

Maligne Canyon attracts between 3,000 and 5,000 people per day in summer. Fehr suggests public transit would support Parks Canada’s goals of reducing congestion issues from personal vehicles and help the federal agency “achieve ecological integrity and visitor experience goals.”

“As such, extending Jasper Transit service to Maligne Canyon would be a valuable supplement to existing operations already providing transportation services to the Maligne Canyon area,” Fehr’s letter states.

The letter is set to be tabled in the Municipality of Jasper’s Committee of the Whole Meeting this coming Tuesday, February 13.

Fehr added that Parks Canada is willing to help fund the added service.

“Should additional costs be incurred for a service to Maligne Canyon, it is understood that Parks Canada would be required to provide financial support,” he wrote.

Parks Canada recently committed $145,000 per year, for three years, to Jasper Transit. The Grande Yellowhead Public School Division contributed $115,000—or approximately 20 per cent of service’s $500,000 price tag—in the service’s first year.

What do you think? Can you see the value in a public bus service to Maligne Canyon? What are the pros and cons? Email editor@thejasperlocal.com to share your thoughts.

Cameron Jackson // info@thejasperlocal.com