Typically, editorials are written about a story that runs in the pages of that particular issue. There are topics of interest in this week’s Fitzhugh, some of which could even merit editorial comment. However, this editorial is about a story that does not appear in this newspaper.

The topic is the draw conducted annually by Parks Canada to allocate portions of commercial space to leaseholders in Jasper. Forget the trials and tribulations of the 2006 edition of the lottery. Although embarassing, the foolishness around spreadsheets and premature conclusions is not particularly meaningful. What is meaningful, and what would be useful, is an open exchange of ideas surrounding the philosophy of using a lottery to parcel out development space in this town.

In preparation for a story of this nature, the usual perspectives were gathered. On the one hand, there’s the Municipality of Jasper, which believes that a draw is an inappropriate mechanism and does not provide for civic needs and demands. On the other, it’s Parks Canada, defending the process as the most equitable way of parcelling out the opportunity to develop properties, the operation of which would be defined and determined by what the market desired.

These positions are not new. The commercial draw has been running for four years now, and the positions of the principal parties have been well-understood for nearly as long. But what do business owners think? What of those who are directly affected by the vagaries of fortune and have their projects picked or passed over? How do these people feel about the process and its efficacy?

It seems that there exists in Jasper a general unwillingness to comment on the record about this matter. This is puzzling. It could suggest that the winners and losers, the once and future participants in the commercial lottery are simply sanguine about the mechanism which determines who gets to build. That seems rather unlikely, given the financial stakes involved in planning for and proceeding with a commercial development. Then why the reluctance to speak out? Perhaps there is a concern amongst some members of the business community that if they have something negative to say about the draw process, they might find themselves in a difficult position the next time they require the approval of Parks Canada for a new project or renovation. 

If this is indeed a factor for even one or two in the community, it’s a terrible shame. Parks cannot be pleased if there is a belief in Jasper that something as benign as expressing an opinion leads to unequal treatment by the agency, but if people honestly believe this, the best way to change that is to make a fuss about it.

How can people hold Parks accountable? The oversight of the agency is managed by the Environment Minister. If the minister is unaware of people’s concerns and complaints, how can they possibly make any effective change? Silence speaks volumes, so why don’t we speak up?