This year marks the 100th anniversary of the establishment of Parks Canada – the world’s first national park service. 

In 1911, 26 years after the establishment of the first national park in Banff, the Government of Canada recognized that designation alone could not deliver the full potential benefits of a national heritage places system and moved to support it with programs and services. On May 19, 1911, the Dominion Parks Branch was created. Parks Canada activities are regulated under the provisions of the Canada National Parks Act, which was enacted in 1930 and amended in 2000.

Throughout its centennial year, Parks Canada will be celebrating in various ways, and locally Parks is celebrating by featuring people that live and work in Jasper.

Richard Ireland, Jasper’s mayor, and Greg Fenton, Jasper National Park superintendent, are two of those people that live and work in Jasper. Here’s what they had to say about living in Jasper National Park.

RICHARD IRELAND

Q: Where did you originate from, how long have you been here and what brought you here?

A: I was born in Jasper.

Q: If you were born here, how many generations has your family been in Jasper, what brought your family here?

A: Two generations of my family precede me as residents of Jasper. My parents arrived first in 1948. My father had been working as a fireman for CN Rail in Calgary. During the winter, CN crews from Jasper were cut-back and some found work in Calgary. A couple of the ‘“old hands” from Jasper told my father that if he really wanted to learn to be a railroader, he should come to Jasper and the mountains. So he applied for and received a transfer, he and my mother moved here, settled in and began to raise a family (sister Bev, brother Doug, me, brother Don and brother Dennis (Gunner). My mother’s parents followed my parents to Jasper shortly after, so by the time my siblings and I came along, we were third generation Jasperites. 

Q: What do you love best about living in a national park?

A: For me, the better question is “what do you love best about living in Jasper National Park?” I most love the mountains and the mountain environment and the immediate, daily access to being immersed in that environment. No day is complete without some time spent in nature.

Q: How are you involved in the community? 

A: As Mayor, certainly, but my work also connects me to the people who are the community. Additionally, I  have a large network of friends and acquaintances based on a variety of shared interests; all of those informal associations are, I believe, the essence of community. 

Q: How do you make a living and how do you see that as a role in the park?

A: My income derives primarily from my profession as a lawyer. In that role I serve residents; those residents fulfill necessary roles in the park and in the community. In order to have a functioning community and a functioning park, residents require access to a range of services. I am happy to be able to contribute to one of those services.

Q: What are some of your favourite things to do in the park on your own or with friends and/or family?

A: Outdoor activities are my favourite. Moving through the environment, in any weather, in any season, by almost any mode of self-propulsion – running, skiing, biking, hiking, climbing, swimming, walking, snowshoeing - is my passion. Living in Jasper enables me to exercise that passion daily.  

GREG FENTON

Q: Where did you originate from, how long have you been here and what brought you here? 

A: I am an Albertan, but my family moved here in 1970 when my father took up the principalship at Jasper Jr./Sr  High School.

They (my parents) saw coming to Jasper as a unique opportunity and that has proved itself a good decision.

Q: What do you love best about living in a national park?

A: There are almost too many to say. There are so many things to see, do and experience here. It is a great place to live in and interact with like-minded people. Jasper’s unique range of services and facilities, for work and recreation, are second to none.

Q: How do you make a living, how do you see that as a role in the park and how are you involved in the community?

A: I work as the Superintendent of Jasper National Park. That really started back in high school, living in a community within a national park. Parks Canada had a youth program called the “Conservation Core” in 1976. It was a 10 to 12 week program that really got me interested in the possibility of Parks Canada as a career. After, I started as a staffer on the Parks Canada grounds crew. I was lucky enough to eventually move up to where I am now.

I see my role, as a senior representative of Parks Canada and the federal government, to make sure that the Parks Management Plan is implemented and suited to Jasper. I aim to influence protection and education opportunities and where there is room, adjust them to fit Jasper National Park. I have the opportunity to influence in a positive way, raise awareness and work with partners to achieve the goals of the community and the park.

Q: What are some of your favourite things to do in the park? On your own or with friends and/or family?

A: I like to participate within the community and with all the opportunities Jasper National Parks has to offer year round. This place provides a unique opportunity to interface with nature.

Keep an eye on the Fitzhugh in the coming months to read more about the people that live, work and play in Jasper and are proud to call this community home.