Funding requests from community groups, arts organizations, business advocates, service centres, foundations and festivals went before Jasper Municipal Council November 18.
The annual appeals for support—this year from 11 different groups—were the first items that the recently-elected council has discussed as a group.
Totalling $241,000—plus a $218K request from the Jasper Municipal Library for its annual budget and another $250K exploratory ask from the Jasper Legion—the majority of the funding requests will be forwarded to the upcoming 2026 budget discussions. Those deliberations are scheduled for Tuesday, November 25 and Wednesday, November 26.
Before external groups made their presentations, council heard recommendations from administration to award $10,000 from the MOJ’s Community and Economic Development Fund to four local organizations.
The Jasper Community Theatre group, the Jasper Food Bank, the Jasper Gymnastics Club and the Mountain Lights: Jasper Art After Dark project each received $2,500 for their respective projects.
More information on those projects can be found on page 28 of the Nov 18 2025 regular council agenda.
External funding requests
Eleven groups applying for a municipal contribution in the 2026 MOJ budget presented to help council understand their funding requests.
The Evergreens Foundation’s Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge manager Ornesto Tassoni spoke to council about the need to fund its Alpine Traveller Bus Service operations.
The $10,000 requested by the Evergreens Foundation will be used to cover special insurance costs, fuel and maintenance costs, according to the group’s application.
Tassoni described the bus service as vital. The bus takes seniors to appointments in Hinton twice per month and does a weekly run in Jasper, he said. It takes local seniors to area lakes in the summer, and on annual excursions to Edmonton.
“The Alpine Traveller is more than just a transportation program, it provides connections, independence and a real quality of life,” Tassoni said.
Community Futures West Yellowhead presented their request for $10,000, which is the same amount the business centre will request from each of the municipalities it serves—including
Jasper, Hinton, Edson, Grande Cache (MD of Greenview) and Yellowhead County.
“These are funds that go towards programming in the communities we work in and it also helps us with our operating funds,” CFWY general manager Nancy Robbins told council.
The most common service that CFWY provides is that of business coaching, Robbins said. They also specialize in business loans, including special post-wildfire recovery support for Jasper businesses. The organization’s sweetest front-facing program is its annual lemonade day, but CFWY’s ultimate goal, according to Robbins, is to help the region grow and thrive through economic diversification.
“We help companies across all industries, with a strong history of helping those in the tourism sector,” their website states.
The Jasper Municipal Library Board came forward to ask council to approve its operational budget, which in 2026 is $218,485. Council’s contribution represents nearly 80 per cent of the library’s total revenues for the year (the province kicks in about 13 per cent). In 2024, the library increased its operating hours from five to six days per week.
“Our focus [is] to create a place that engages, strengthens and enhances our community’s quality of life,” library manager Angie Thom told council.
The request represents a 2.5 percent increase from last year’s budget.
The Jasper Yellowhead Historical Society’s president, Steve Pavlov, told council the JYHS, like most organizations in Jasper in the last 18 months, had their plans set back by the 2024 Jasper wildfire.
“But we have taken great steps to turn things around,” Pavlov said. “We now have a very strong and committed board. And we’re seeing a greater demand on the museum for meeting space and to that point we’re trying to develop programs both socially and for convenience to the community where they can come gather.”
The JYHS is asking council for $40,000 to improve programming and for facility upgrades, including its audio and video-conferencing systems.
Councillors were inquiring after a budget line item which showed the collected rent from hosting interim housing on their adjacent lot, but also as a reserve fund for future museum expansion.
“It confuses me how those numbers add up if that $42,000 is destined for a separate pot,” Mayor Richard Ireland said.
There were also some concerns that the budget was created with a municipal grant and gaming revenues that hadn’t been awarded yet.
The Jasper Legion, aka the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 31 told council about their $250,000 wish to rejuvenate Jasper’s Cenotaph—the Geikie Street monument which commemorates those Jasperites who served their country in wartime.
Legion representatives Greg Key and Keith Henderson said they want to explore combining resources to improve the cenotaph and the surrounding public space. Veterans Affairs Canada does grant some money to improving war memorials, Henderson said, but the Legion doesn’t qualify for those subsidies.
“The end goal is a beautiful park, updated cenotaph, attractive additions that would beautify our public area,” Key said.
The cenotaph has seen significant degradation over the years and the plaques are “horribly out of date,” he said.
One of the main problems the Legion faces with cenotaph repairs is a lack of clarity on who is actually responsible for it. Key is hoping the municipality will establish ownership of the monument.
“We request the municipality assists us in establishing an agreement of responsibility,” Key said.
“How can we work together to get the right funding? At the end of the day, we have an opportunity to do it right. Let’s move forward together.”
The Jasper Park Tennis Club presented their appeal for funding for the resurfacing of the municipally-owned tennis courts and the creation of three adjacent pickleball courts (which would replace the former Jasper Skatepark).
The request for $112,000 aligns with Community Health priorities, representatives Ann Thomas and John Wilmshurst explained. Plus, pickleball is still (somehow?) all the rage.
In September, the club received a Community Facility Enhancement Program fund from the province for the same amount as their request to the MOJ, and even though at that time town administration included the matching contribution in the 2026 budget, council will still have to give it their blessing.
The Jasper Community Habitat for the Arts would use $10,000 to support community-driven arts programs for all ages, representatives told council.
Marianne Garrah and Jacqui McCol said that the past year in Jasper has demonstrated the essential nature of creative spaces.
“Art became more than programming, it became a stabilizing force offering dignity, connection, routine and a sense of home,” McCol said.
Councillor Wendy Hall noted the ask was less than last year’s.
“I want to congratulate Habitat on your success year-over-year. Every year you have asked for less money and the programming has grown,” Hall said.
Habitat for the Arts was also requesting rent relief, which last year amounted to approximately $21,000. Their ask includes funding for the spring and summer Sundays Music in the Park weekly program.
The Jasper Artists Guild was reporting a successful year (their 25th as an organization) as they requested a continued subsidy for the rent of their gallery space from Jasper Municipal Council. JAG rents out their space for $950 per month, or an $8,400 subsidy per year.
Board member and past chairperson Russ Mann said hiring a gallery attendant and having the space open on a regular basis was key to increasing art sales, but noted that JAG’s current lease expires in June.
Along with forwarding the request to budget discussions, council also agreed to direct administration to enter into lease discussions with JAG.
The Jasper Heritage Folk and Blues Society’s Peggy Munn, representing the Jasper Folk Music Festival, was back in front of council to ask for support for their approaching 10th annual festival. Last year, their request for $20,000 was rebuffed but they did receive $2,000 in cash plus another $3,000 for in-kind donations (rental of the stage, field, tables and chairs).
“We’re asking for municipal support to keep our festival accessible,” Munn said.
The request will go to budget deliberations next week.
The Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, whose September letter of complaint and accompanying rebuttal from Mayor Richard Ireland was documented in the November 18 agenda package (page 9), was in front of council asking for operational support for the third year in a row.
Last year the JPCC requested and received $5,000. This year, the ask is for $10,000 to convert part of the organization’s front foyer into a kitchenette space. The improvements will benefit the JPCC and its new tenants, the Red Cross and Community Futures West Yellowhead, Executive Director Paul Butler said.
“Overall, the change will make the building considerably more efficient and workable for the variety of uses we now need to accommodate and will increase the functionality of the Robson House as a community space,” their application letter reads.
A motion to move the request to budget considerations passed, but with Councillor Kable Kongsrud voting in opposition.
Finally, UpLift Mural Festival organizer Logan Ireland presented his organization’s request for a $25,000 in-kind donation as well as a $25,000 cash contribution.
Mayor Richard Ireland, the presenter’s father, declared a potential conflict of interest and recused himself from the discussion.
The four year old festival has “transformed 18 blank walls into landmarks, engaged thousands of locals in events, reached millions of visitors and provided countless opportunities for tiny Jasper hands to press their fingers up against the paint,” Logan Ireland said.
Councillor Hall said she recognized the value that the murals bring to the community. The request was forwarded to budget discussions.
Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
