The Jasper Municipal Library is asking council for nearly $30,000 more than last year, citing additional staffing costs associated with new provincial restrictions on access to explicit content.

Of the $381,000 requested by eight community groups, the largest request was $248,000 for the Municipality of Jasper Library Board. That’s nearly 13 per cent more than the $218,485 allocated for 2026, which was itself a 2.5 per cent increase over 2025.

Angie Thom, director of library services, told council on Tuesday (Oct. 27) that the increase would help pay for a part-time clerk to assist with implementing the new regulations under Bill 28, passed last spring.

“The Municipality of Jasper Library Board has made a commitment to support intellectual freedom and diversity,” Thom said.

“While the regulation does not force library boards to remove items that meet the minister’s restricted criteria, forcing items to be in a restricted collection under the control of library staff with age-verification requirements does not make it easy for the 75 per cent of local library members who are adults.”

The new rules restrict access to library materials containing visual depictions of sexual acts. Anyone 15 or younger will need parental or guardian permission to access or borrow these materials.

Municipal Affairs Minister Dan Williams previously told the Jasper Local the regulations are intended to prevent children from stumbling upon graphic sexual material. Critics argue the rules amount to censorship and impose additional costs on libraries. The Province has not provided additional funding to help libraries implement the changes.

Library boards have until Jan. 1 to comply. Thom said the Province does not expect staff to review their entire collections by that date, but wants the highest-risk sections addressed first, with the remainder reviewed eventually.

“This takes staff time to complete,” she said. “Staff will also have to handle the education of library visitors and members on new policies and procedures, handle people’s questions and frustrations. Having an extra person to help with these interactions will be critical in maintaining the mental health of library staff.”

The part-time clerk would also help the library manage the transition as two staff members prepare to retire. The Jasper Friends of the Library Society will cover the cost of locked cabinets or other secure storage for restricted materials.

The $248,000 request would account for roughly 80 per cent of the library’s revenue. Provincial grants, which contribute $34,704 annually—or about 11 per cent of revenue—have not increased and are expected to remain unchanged for the foreseeable future.

Mayor Richard Ireland called the downloading of additional responsibilities onto municipalities “insidious.”

Coun. Wendy Hall, who also sits on the library board, supported the request.

“It’s important to recognize that when the Province adds responsibilities, they come with real costs,” she said.

Other funding requests

The Evergreens Foundation requested $10,000 to support the Alpine Traveler Bus Service, which provides door-to-door transportation for seniors and other community members in Jasper. The request is unchanged from last year.

Alpine Summit Seniors Lodge manager Ornesto Tassoni said the service’s waitlist has doubled to 59 people over the past two years. The bus provides transportation within Jasper, trips to Hinton and outings for the Jasper Seniors Society.

“This bus was really instrumental in the 2024 evacuation, making sure that we were able to get our residents from our assisted living out and safe,” Tassoni said.

Community Futures West Yellowhead (CFWY) requested $10,000 for initiatives such as business walks and Lemonade Day, as well as organizational wages. The request matches those made to its four other municipal partners: Hinton, Edson, Grande Cache (MD of Greenview) and Yellowhead County.

Coun. Ralph Melynk, who sits on CFWY’s board, said the organization connects Jasper with other regional communities and gives councillors from across the region an opportunity to meet monthly.

The Jasper-Yellowhead Historical Society requested $50,000 to hire a consultant to explore expansion or redevelopment of the museum, which president Steve Pavlov said has outgrown its aging facility.

Mayor Ireland noted the society would have recorded a $70,000 surplus this year if not for its expansion project. He also pointed out that the request represents a 25 per cent increase over last year’s $40,000.

“It will have to be put in context, and any 25 per cent increase within our budget is something to be concerned about, or at least to consider harshly,” he said.

The Jasper Heritage Folk and Blues Society requested the same support it received last year for the Jasper Folk Music Festival: $17,000 in cash and $3,000 in in-kind contributions, including the rental of the stage, field, tables and chairs. Peggy Munn said the funding would support a kick-off parade, children’s area and teen zone.

Habitat for the Arts again requested $10,000 to sustain accessible arts and cultural programming. It also asked council to waive rental fees for municipal facilities up to four times a year to help accommodate larger events.

The Jasper Pride Festival Society requested $8,085 in in-kind support for facility rentals during the Jasper Pride and Ski Festival. Coun. Hall said the festival has helped Jasper “develop a reputation of being inclusive and safe and welcoming for people to come and just be themselves.”

UpLift! Jasper Mural Festival requested $25,000, unchanged from last year, to help plan and deliver the event. Mayor Ireland recused himself from the discussion because his son, Logan, co-created the festival.

Council will consider all eight requests during budget deliberations on Nov. 24 and 25.

Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative // info@thejasperlocal.com