It’s a taste bud expedition in the middle of our town’s coolest event, Jasper in January. Our mission is deliciously clear: out of 14 delectable local contenders, uncover Jasper's top poutine.  It’s the type of assignment that would be impossible without the help of friends to navigate Jasper’s rest...

It was a tinseltown-tinted Christmas for local thespians Joost Tijssen and Pieter Van Loon.  Jasper Theater Productions' Pieter Van Loon (left) and Joost Tijssen performed a Christmas-themed show over the holidays. // Bob Covey The two-man theatre troupe rang in the New Year with Dinner and Theatre,...

It’s December and I’m swinging a golf club. This isn’t a “bros trip” to Scottsdale or Vegas, and I’m a couple decades away from retiring on Vancouver Island. The Stanley Thompson-designed 18-hole course at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge Golf Club has gone into hibernation and it’ll be a good six mon...

Not all onboard with transit plan   Jasper municipal councillors have approved Jasper’s 2024 operating and capital budgets, but members of the local tourism bureau remain concerned for Jasper’s fiscal future.  After six marathon sessions to deliberate on what administration presented to them on Nove...

Holiday shoppers looking to buy local might just have a new favourite JAM. The newly-opened Jasper Artisan Market and Refillery on Patricia Street has assembled a collective of local makers under one roof, just in time for the Christmas season. “It is so awesome, there’s so much potential for collab...

Jasper’s Destination Marketing Organization is increasing the fee it levies on visitors. Added onto every bill hotel guests receive at the end of their stay, and onto many of the cheques that diners in Jasper get at the conclusion of their meal, is a two percent Destination Marketing Fee (DMF). On a...

Proposed budget doesn’t recognize what businesses are facing: JPCC       Local business owners aired their grievances on the proposed budget to Jasper Municipal Council recently.  Representatives from the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce were among a dozen or so people in attendance for council’s Dec...

Tourism Jasper has serious concerns about the Municipality of Jasper’s proposed 2024 budget. Representatives from the Destination Marketing Organization tabled a statement on the potential increases to Jasper’s tax requisition during the November 28 Committee of the Whole meeting . “We feel we must ...

Administration requesting five new staff positions; utility rate plan paying off; paid parking generated $1M in 2023 Jasper councillors recommended supporting most of the proposed 2024 municipal budget that town administrators presented to them on Tuesday and Wednesday (Nov 21 and 22). The $36.4 mil...

Updated: The Icefields Parkway is open again after intermittent closures on Friday, November 17 for avalanche control work. In preparation for the upcoming avalanche season, Parks Canada is evaluating new tools and procedures for avalanche control work. "Avalanche control work is inherently dangerou...

On the strong performance of its Banff/Jasper collection, Pursuit has achieved record earnings between July and September, 2023. Viad released its 2023 third quarter results on November 2. Viad Corp, a publicly-traded company based in Scottsdale, Arizona, reported that the Banff-Jasper Collection wa...

Marmot Basin staff are organizing to change their relationship with their employer, but a technical issue with their union membership petition has stalled their unionization efforts. An application to the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB) was was filed on behalf of Marmot Basin employees this pa...

No one could accuse Ray Naito of doing things the easy way. To get his gluten-free craft beer concept from a back-of-the-napkin idea, to where it is now—a real-life, drinkable product, available at local bottle shops, bars and restaurants, the 39-year-old has been through the wringer. Or the ferment...

New details about the awarding of the Jasper Transit contract call into question information circulated in a widely-shared social media post by a local transportation company. The post, “An open letter to the Jasper community,” shared on SunDog’s Tour and Transportation Co.’s Facebook page , has mor...

Tourism Jasper and a partnership of local businesses want to help salvage Jasper’s hockey season. The Jasper Recreation Facilities Renovation Project—Jasper’s $20 million upgrade to the Arena, Activity Centre and Aquatic Centre —had its official sod-turning ceremony on September 6. The major project...

Coco’s Cafe is for sale. For 16 years, owners Lynn and Andrew Wannop have put in the daily grind at their landmark restaurant on Patricia Street. The café has become more than a coffee shop—Coco’s is one of Jasper’s community hubs. “We’ve made so many lasting friendships, I’m proud that we’ve build ...

Kim Stark, owner of two bakeries in Jasper which are cornerstones of the community’s culinary landscape, is once again raising the bar. Or in this case, opening the bar. With the launch of Ursidae Lair —every night, the landmark Bear’s Paw Bakery transforms into a sultry speakeasy—Stark has created ...

If Estelle Blanchette had a crystal ball in 2018, she definitely wouldn’t have started Jasper Food Tours. The business launched just 18 months before the COVID-19 pandemic changed the world and devastated the local economy. “I wouldn’t have done it,” she said. “Trying to operate in the midst of all ...

“Bring a floating line for chironomid fishing and a sinking line for casting big streamers to lakers. This is gonna be epic!” So came the text from Ryan “Rye Rye” Catherwood on the Friday before the May 20/21 weekend. Few dates are anticipated as highly by Jasper National Park anglers—it’s May Long ...

Opening weekend, 1995: Jasper National Park fishing guide, Mike Merilovich, had two clients for a half day on Pyramid Lake. Merilovich, the owner of On-Line Sport and Tackle, had a good feeling about the trip. He’d already landed one lake trout first thing in the morning—as he tells it, the fish hit...