Carbon offsets not the solution

My hat goes off to the minority in town council (Mayor Ireland and Councillor Damota) who had the courage to vote against applying for carbon credits from the provincial government for Jasper’s composting program.

This is a complicated issue, and it is understandable that council was divided on the vote.

If we look only at Jasper’s side of the equation, it looks really good. Jasper will earn money, and that money can be invested into expansion of the composting program. It sounds like a win-win situation.

However, in looking at the big picture, one must ask whether this program will lead to reduction in green house gases (GHG). From what I have read, it will not.

The provincial offset program has no hard caps, only intensity based targets. It does nothing for reducing green house gases overall. In fact, the large GHG emitters can simply buy their way out of any obligations, while increasing the size of their operations, and while increasing emissions. The stock brokers of the carbon trading market get rich.

I disagree with the notion that one can affect greater change while participating in the program than from the outside. That is to deny that we are citizens living in a democracy. In fact, I would emphatically argue the opposite! It’s pretty hard to bite the hand that feeds you. By participating (and receiving $50,000), town severely limits its ability to criticize, agitate for change, or to pull out when we notice that GHG emissions are not going down. We all know that once that money starts flowing, it is difficult to voluntarily turn off the tap.

By participating, we are giving tacit approval of a deeply flawed program. We receive money - we be quiet. To say no would make a stronger statement. 

Monika Schaefer,
Jasper, AB

Parking system inequitable

I believe that all users of the parking areas owned by the Town of Jasper between midnight and 6:00 A.M. should be paying for that privilege. This would include for the Town’s roadways and parking lots. Presently the Town has a very inequitable system. Firstly the annual parking fee of $200 for use of space in the Town’s lots in Block S is very unfair to all the leaseholders in Block S. According to my rough calculations, for a leaseholder to provide the same access and rates it would not even come close to paying their annual property taxes. Let alone providing any return on their investment or other costs of maintaining the lot. Secondly, even though in order to obtain a business license or to provide rental accommodation, the operator or owner is supposed to provide their own parking, it appears they are being allowed to park for free on the roadways and parking lots owned by the Town.

Based on a municipal property tax assessment of $175,000 for a regular lot in Block S, I feel should require an annual rental fee of about $900 for a non-commercial vehicle and $1,500 for a commercial use vehicle. That rental space would be for about 3 metres wide by 7.5 metres long, in a designated lot. A similar size parking space anywhere else in the Town of Jasper, that is owned by the Town, including on roadways i.e. on-street parking and in parking lots, I feel should be an annual rental fee of $1,200 for a non-commercial vehicle and $1,800 for a commercial use vehicle. Any over size vehicles would incur an extra annual fee based on 6.67% of the base rate for each additional 1/3 rd metre or part thereof. All of these fees should be plus GST, payable based on a monthly basis including any part thereof.

Upon prepayment the Town would issue a parking pass indicating when it will expire and the allowable size of the vehicle. Any vehicles violating the terms of the pass would be subject to fines and possible impound. That pass would be transferable between vehicles of a similar size. This means that if a homeowner, landlord or hotel does not want to allow their guests or tenants to park on their property, they can provide them with a Town pass to park on the street or Town parking lots. It also means that all the owners of those commercial passenger vehicles, commercial trucks and equipment, and trailers of all kinds, that have been abusing the taxpayers of Jasper by currently parking for free on the Town’s roadways and parking lots, will finally be paying their fair share of the costs incurred by the Town and its taxpayers to construct and maintain those areas.

If the Town is bold and prudent enough to implement and enforce this type of parking pass system, then it should be able to abolish any plan to install parking meters. It should also stop once and for all this abuse by a few business operators of the roadways and parking lots, that are owned by the Town and its taxpayers of Jasper. Those taxpayers that continue to park their vehicles on their own property, or on their landlord’s property, would not be affected by this parking pass system. The end result would be a benefit to all in Jasper, including the additional funds raised for the Town could be applied to the costs of maintaining the roadways year round.

Paul E. Height,
Jasper, AB