Jasperites are writing to their elected officials to express their dissatisfaction with the Alberta government’s proposed draft K-6 school curriculum. When Cristin Murphy first saw the newly released draft in early April, she was, like many of her friends and colleagues, surprised at not only what w...

Jasper municipal councillors were grinding out the details on a potential new skatepark location and administration was trying to keep the conversation on the rails as comments bordered on the blunt side March 23. At council’s most recent committee of the whole meeting the town’s director of operati...

From a young age, Emilie Langley had a penchant for needlework. Sewing lessons as a teenager put her ahead of the curve; Langley would finish her home-economics assignments much faster than the rest of the students. “I think that upset the teacher,” Langley said with a laugh. In college, Langley rem...

You know that dream where you’re sitting in your old high school classroom and you’ve got a test in front of you but you haven’t studied and you don’t remember seeing any of the course material before and the test is actually in hieroglyphics and—oh no—you’re not wearing any pants? I hate that dream...

Jasper municipal councillors were grinding out the details on a potential new skatepark location and administration was trying to keep the conversation on the rails as comments bordered on the blunt side March 23. At council’s most recent committee of the whole meeting the town’s director of operati...

Under a cloudless, sun-drenched sky and framed by glaciated peaks in every direction, on March 10 a small group of skiers and snowboarders slid into Marmot Basin history . Taking in the new vantage point. // B COVEY For years—decades, even—local riders had looked up to the highest point at Marmot Ba...

Author, conservationist and former superintendent of Banff National Park, Kevin Van Tighem, wants Albertans to reimagine themselves. At a time when social, economic and environmental changes confront and confound Alberta,Van Tighem, a fourth-generation Albertan, says we need better ways of rememberi...

A local writer and science communicator is taking a deep-dive into the growing world of podcasting. Jasper’s Niki Wilson is bringing her inquisitive nature, vast knowledge of Rocky Mountain biology and love of a good pine marten story to a new podcast series called Anthropomania . Jasper’s Niki Wils...

Lynn and Andrew Wannop were not the first to find out that the Municipality of Jasper had some news to share with them. “I was in a meeting with our school coordinator,” Lynn said. “All of a sudden my phone started going crazy.” Lynn’s friends were blowing up her phone because they had just watched ...

After 10 years, dozens of markets, thousands of pounds of vegetables and tractor-loads of hard work, the Jasper Local Food Society is enjoying the fruits of its labours. However, even the most productive soil needs to be regularly replenished. “We’re hoping we can recruit some new board members,” pr...

Who opposes the province’s decision to allow open-pit coal mining in Alberta’s Rocky Mountains? Basically everyone. So suggests Edmonton-based writer and political watcher, Dave Cournoyer ( daveberta.ca ). Cournoyer lists ranchers, farmers, environmental organizations and recreational groups among t...

The Jasper Arena is ready for ice, as soon as … you know Wayne Hansen of Prologic Construction was the senior supervisor of the recent arena and curling rink (shown here) upgrades. // BC COVID has brought team sports to a halt, but over at the Jasper Activity Centre, the break in action has given co...

If she wanted to, Karen Jacobs could make a laundry list of ways her retail business has been negatively impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. But Jacobs, who’s owned Jasper’s premiere clothing boutique, Mountain Air, for the last 10 years, isn’t that kind of gal. “It’s not all doom and gloom,” Jaco...

Dwaine Gilzene dreams big. Always has. And whether it has been moving to Canada, becoming a permanent Canadian resident, meeting and marrying his dream partner, or opening up his own restaurant, the 35-year-old has been able to achieve those dreams. You can see the culmination of those realized ambi...

Transportation company changing lanes SILVER LININGS // Paul Hardy, whose transportation business was built to serve a diverse international market, is grateful that Albertans are rediscovering their backyard. // BOB COVEY In any other winter, if the Icefields Parkway closes for Parks Canada avalanc...

In March, with less opportunities for visitors to dine-in, pizza joints, which specialize in delivery, leaned into the coronavirus-affected market. Things changed again in December when full lockdown measures came into effect (no dine-in at all) and more restaurants got into the curbside pickup game...

Most local retailers are going online. Cannabis can’t. While other industries have been put through the coronavirus grinder, the worldwide pandemic has been good for cannabis sales. In the context of a pandemic, SpiritLeaf Jasper’s Dave Ireland says cannabis shops are a needed resource for a lot of ...

When the first coronavirus case was confirmed in Jasper in March, VideoStop owner Kevin Lazzari wasn’t taking any chances. As soon as he heard the news, Lazzari dead bolted the door to his Patricia Street business. “Those first few days and weeks were crazy,” he recalled. “No one knew how risky thin...

Three minutes. That’s how long it took Celina Frisson, otherwise known as @thecreativetraveller , to sell out her latest stock of hand-painted ceramic mugs. On December 5 at 3 p.m., Frisson opened her online shop. By 3:03 p.m., 50 or so pieces of pottery had been scooped up. Frisson, a painter and g...

When Gage LeBlanc tries something new, the 15-year-old goes big. BRING ON THE BUMPS // Gage LeBlanc stars in the upcoming All-Round Champion, a Reality TV series premiering on TVOntario. Catch the series starting on January 6. // BOB COVEY The first time LeBlanc tried freestyle skiing, for example, ...