Festive decorating that's fun and affordable It all started when it ended. Autumn’s rich jewel tones had faded, withered and dropped to the ground. Gone were the ruby reds, citrine yellows, emerald greens and amber oranges. Sparkling snow diamonds under sapphire skies were weeks away. The lack of co...

A downtown commercial building fire that was contained quickly after being reported offers important fire-safety lessons. Oily rags not being disposed of properly caused the Jasper Fire Department to respond to a business fire last week. On Thursday, November 20, at around 7:30 a.m., 9-1-1 dispatche...

God, I was tired. And we still had to hike out. The author on a Mount Christie expedition in 2005, around the same time he celebrated his 60th year. // Liam Harrap I had wanted to see 60 in with a flourish, not a walking stick and a sit on a bench in the Park. That was the reason I was so tired. I h...

I Smell a Rat! Let’s get one thing out of the way right now – muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are not rats. Muskrats and rats are both rodents, but muskrats are actually more closely related to the meadow voles you can see scampering about in Jasper’s wet meadows... Muskrats are in the family Cricetid...

Positions created to facilitate Jasper’s recovery from the 2024 wildfire will be fully funded to the end of their respective terms. The announcement was part of the Tuesday, November 18 Committee of the Whole meeting update from the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC). Director of Recovery, M...

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 d...

Nature may look chaotic, but it is, in fact, very well organized. So says artist Dee McLean. “We mess with it at our peril,” she says. A scientific illustrator, painter, children’s book author, exhibit curator and former cricket coach, McLean uses art as a vehicle to engage her audience with science...

Jasperites turned out in the hundreds to observe Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Jasper Activity Centre on November 11. Captain (retired) Greg Key from The Jasper Legion emceed the event, noting that the hostilities of the First World War ceased on November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m.—the eleventh hour o...

Beware the ‘Fawn of the Dead’: a herd of skeletal, pock-marked deer limp menacingly towards their target, moaning, intent on a gory brain feast…grraaahhh !!! OK, not really; there are no zombie deer eating anyone’s brains. So why is the disease known as Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) also known as zo...

Ice skating is physics. A narrow blade applying an exact pressure on the ice, enough to melt it quickly but briefly, lubricating the metal, allowing the skater to enjoy almost frictionless travel. Physics fundamentals: Ice floats and kids slide. // Bob Covey The freezing of lakes and rivers itself i...

Seven caribou calves born in first year of breeding program The Caribou Conservation Breeding Centre has begun achieving tangible results with the birth of seven healthy calves in its first year of operation. Jean-Francois Bisaillon, program manager of the Jasper Caribou Recovery Program for Jasper ...

Dear Editor: Jasper is lucky to have a location that people, including hockey teams, are willing to flock to for the scenery and the mountain experience.  Each winter, our arena hosts numerous hockey tournaments because we have available ice time on the weekends. It's a luxury that teams from many o...

Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is in the spotlight once again. The iconic property’s general manager, Garrett Turta, has been named the 2025 Hotelier of the Year by Historic Hotels Worldwide , a collection of more than 320 historic hotels and treasures in 44 countries. Turta, who has been JPL’s GM for t...

Nespresso Canada donates trees to the MOJ to support rebuilding efforts. A leading coffee corporation is giving Jasper's rebuild a jolt. Last Friday (October 24), Nespresso Canada announced a donation of tree seedlings to be planted in the Municipality of Jasper (MOJ).   As part of Nespresso Canada'...

Two new reports shed light on how the 2024 Jasper wildfire spread so quickly. The reports, which were commissioned by Parks Canada, also reaffirm the importance of FireSmart principles. The Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) report focuses on the fire’s behaviour outside the townsite and its rapid gro...

For the second time in a month that has seen only four school days, Jasper students walked out of school in support of their teachers. After taking strike action on October 6, yesterday approximately 51,000 educators were forced back to work by the Alberta Government . Jasper students rallying for e...

Jasperites Janet Frechette and Pam Wilson were among dozens of Forever Canadian campaign supporters in Edmonton who witnessed "a historic victory" on Tuesday (October 28). As the throngs broke out in spontaneous renditions of O' Canada, campaign leader Thomas Lukaszuk and an army of volunteers prese...

Jasper's mayor and six councillors were officially sworn in on Friday, October 24 at the Lobstick Lodge's Skyline Lounge. Jasper's 2025 council includes Mayor Richard Ireland and councillors Laurie Rodger, Danny Frechette, Kable Kongsrud, Wendy Hall, Kathleen Waxer and Ralph Melnyk. // Bob Covey The...

Alberta Government invokes Notwithstanding Clause to impose a collective contract and shield it from court challenges for the duration of the four-year term The Alberta government has overridden the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and is forcing Alberta teachers back to work on Wednesday (Oc...

Driving from Lake Louise to Jasper last week, Forever Canadian petitioner Thomas Lukaszuk came around the famous “big bend” in the Icefields Parkway.  As the road’s incline steepened, the vintage RV he’s been travelling the province in—a 1992 motorhome dubbed the Unity Bus—crawled up the long hill. ...