Developing an event strategy
Tourism Jasper, along with a few partners, is working to implement an event and tourism strategy for the town.
The purpose of the strategy, which would be undertaken by the marketing agency, Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, Parks Canada and the municipality, is to provide more effective and efficient delivery of high quality tourism events, so as to increase economic activity in the town.
“In essence it’s to streamline and make it as easy as possible for outside events to come in and host them,” Mary Darling, CEO of Tourism Jasper, told council Dec. 10.
The first step in the process—contracting a consultant to complete the Jasper Event and Tourism Strategy—was completed in the fall. For that, Tourism Jasper received a $30,000 provincial grant.
The next step is having all of the partners agree that the strategy is necessary and the recommendations within it are appropriate. Following that, a strategy committee will be appointed, a host organization will be determined and a communication plan will be developed.
And ultimately, the hope is to have two employees—a product development manager and event coordinator—working solely on events and festivals and the easy delivery of them. That would include developing a website that outlines just how an organization or club could come into Jasper and host an event.
The partners will meet in January to discuss these next steps.
Christmas dinner for all
As is tradition in Jasper, a free Christmas dinner will be offered to locals and visitors alike at the Jasper Legion, Dec. 25.
The turkey dinner is hosted by the Jasper Food Bank and the local Teamsters Union and is supported by Santas Anonymous and the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, who donate to the event.
Most of the hungry participants are people who work at the ski hill and aren’t able to make it home for the holidays. But Patrick Mooney of the Food Bank said there are also others in town that should and do come.
“It’s for those who are eating alone,” he said, noting that each year attracts between 70 and 100 people.
Dinner is served from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. and is prepared by half a dozen volunteers.
“It’s such a collective effort,” said Mooney. “Even on Christmas day there’s a real sense of a strong community effort.”
Priority setting
Council has been working on its priorities for the next four years and has determined the guiding principle is general community health.
To achieve community health, councillors recognized that organizational health is necessary as well.
So it highlighted communication, both external and internal; fiscal health, including long range planning and alternative revenue sources; relationships, with partners like Parks Canada and with the environment; and an alignment between council and administration as being important priorities for the coming term.
Other items noted were the need to work on a new land use and planning agreement with Parks, following through with some of the recommendations in the Structural and Service review, as well as the Sustainability Plan and review staffing levels to ensure there are enough bodies to get the work done.
