After two years of formal debate and consultation with the public, Jasper town council and Jasper National Park have released the formalized, near final version of the Jasper Community Sustainability plan. 

The long-term, 30-year-planning document broadly maps out the future of Jasper’s development, setting goals on everything from literacy to social networks around youth to developing two new categories of open space zoning designation on town land. In a strong move, the plan also maps out the possible devolution of a significant amount of powers to Jasper Town Council from parks in major areas, including land use planning.

“My hope is that although the plan is important, to help us as a community achieve sustainability, it’s really the continuation of the process which will be most important,” said Mayor Richard Ireland. He said it was up to the public to remain engaged with the plan and if they do so, than the outcomes that stem from the plan should bear fruit.

He pointed to the recently opened community gardens behind the Jasper Library as an example of how the sustainability plan is supposed to work. Council heard that people in town wanted gardens in town during the consulting process for the sustainability plan and put together a proposal for community gardening. The garden nearly fell apart when opposition to where the garden would sit was raised. However, the parties involved were able to consult with each other and council and work out a decision that seems to be working to everyone’s favour.

Mayor Ireland said it was in the public debate that came after the opposition to the community gardens that really brought it into existence. He hopes the public conversation that happened there will happen with the other 155 goals which are inside the plan for Jasper.

Town officials said, overall, they were happy with public turnout to the group meetings and information sessions that were held in town over the past two years. Some meetings were poorly attended, while others saw more people turn out than expected. Overall, the cumulative effect was a good level of engagement, they said.

Changes in this plan compared to the draft plan that was unveiled in October 2009 are minor. In short, from the perspective of the general public, the plan has been ready since last year. 

Comments at the hearings and public meetings during the planning stages were wide ranging and broad.

“People like the small town feel that Jasper has,” said Jurgen Deagle, as an environmental management specialist with Jasper National Park. “We certainly heard at many of the meetings that people don’t want the town to become like Banff.”

He said this means that the plan includes goals such as maintaining heritage buildings, creating architecture motifs to limit the types of buildings that can be built here and more design related goals.

As well, he said that the plan includes goals to control crime better in town. Deagle said this could be accomplished through something as simple as placing more lights in dark areas and building streets and homes so that they do not provide hiding spots for criminal types.

The total amount the plan cost to put together was budgeted at $400,000, which was split between the town, parks and other government grants. Officials said the plan has been formed under that budgets price point so far.

According Verne Balding, director for corporate and legislative services with the town, one of the highlights of the plan is how it could create two types of zoning designations for open spaces. One, called a recreational open space, could create an open space where things like soccer posts could be constructed. The other is to create a natural open space zone where construction is limited.

The plan will be returning to council on July 6, where it will be given first reading. It must also be later approved by Jim Prentice, federal minister of the environment. Although the major public debate about the content of the plan is now nearly finished, it is still possible for the public to raise complaints and concerns about what is inside. Still, town officials said that now may be at the point where a decision to approve or disapprove needs to be made, which limits the amount of influence the public can now exert. The plan can be found on the town’s website.