One new development for 2006 drew the attention of some Jasper Tourism and Commerce members at last week’s monthly meeting, where the organization’s budget was discussed. Tourism and Commerce, which spent more than $12,000 to support the various activities of the Hakone-Jasper exchange program, has not included any amount in the budget for the next fiscal year. 

This is because the group is in the process of transferring responsibility, financial and otherwise, to the Municipality of Jasper. It’s a natural part of the evolution of the relationship, said Tourism and Commerce past president Doug McPhee.

“When it was originally conceived, the powers-that-be in Jasper really rested in the Chamber of Commerce. It was looked on by the Hakone people as the natural entity to deal with.

“Our figurehead now is our mayor, no longer the president of the chamber,” he said.

McPhee was part of Jasper’s most recent delegation to Hakone in the fall, and noticed that the hosts were more eager to deal with Mayor Richard Ireland and the two councillors, Brian Nesbitt and Mike Day.

“They have such a structured system that it was very evident that they wanted it to be mayor-to-mayor,” he said. 

A transition committee has been struck to oversee the transfer of responsibility between Tourism and Commerce and the Municipality. 

“It’s to make a smooth transition with all aspects, including the school exchange,” said McPhee. “We hope that it’s all going to go into the municipal jurisdiction. We’ve committed to staying a part of the program — we’re not going to tell them they have to buy tickets for the Skytram or Maligne Lake when they come to Jasper ... we’re not running away from it.”

The Hakone-Jasper exchange has been running for more than 30 years and is one of the oldest in Alberta. McPhee understands that the Tourism and Commerce members who spent time and effort to establish and maintain the programs are concerned about the transfer of control.

“They’ve done a tremendous amount of work and I appreciate where they are coming from, but the reality is that now, we have a municipality,” he said.