Musicians are raising their voices in support of the Jasper Legion, calling on Parks Canada to “cut the red tape” and work collaboratively with the executive board to find a suitable tenant for half of its building.
Along with Del Barber, Corb Lund and the Bros. Landreth, Canadian folk legend Stephen Fearing joined the fight earlier this week, using his Twitter feed to put pressure on Parks. In an interview, he said without the Legion as a venue, Jasper will “lose a whole echelon of performers that aren’t going to come through anymore.
“This is about the community and the very people who work in the park and live in the park, they need this place,” he said, noting that the Legion is the only reason he continues to play in Jasper.
“I hope Parks Canada will rethink—instead of shunting it through their regular channels—and look at the Legion as the unique thing that it is.”
With the departure of École Desrochers, as of Sept. 1, the Legion is now in a bind, paying the utility bills for a vacant building. It is also loosing out on thousands of dollars in monthly rental payments, putting pressure on its already tight budget.
“Every month that goes by we’re going to dig ourselves deeper and deeper,” said Ken Kuzminski, president of the Legion. “We have to stop the bleeding.”
For months the board has been searching for a new tenant to replace the school—which moved into the brand new Jasper Joint School Facility—but, according Kuzminski, every idea it’s brought forward has been shut down by Parks.
The issue is that, like most Legions in Canada, the building is zoned institutional. That limits what the space can be used for—and rezoning is out of the question as it would require an amendment to the Canada National Parks Act.
Discretionary uses for institutional lands include everything from community recreational facilities to childcare facilities, government services, medical treatment services, public assemblies, public education services, public libraries and cultural exhibits, public parking areas, religious assemblies, special needs housing, staff accommodation and utility services.
One of the suggested uses for the space was a transitional workers accommodation that would provide newcomers a place to lay their heads after arriving in Jasper. A proposal for the idea went to the Planning and Development Advisory Committee, which gave its conditional support.
That plan has since been abandoned because the restrictions make it economically infeasible.
The Legion has also been presented with a few other ideas, including a yoga studio and storage space, but both were denied on the grounds that they were too commercial.
So, last month Kuzminski—as a last resort—filed an application for a demolition permit, with the intention of tearing down half of the building, to reduce the utility and maintenance costs.
Of course, that’s not the Legion’s preferred outcome, but “the bleeding has to stop sometime.”
“The longer that we bicker about what we can put in there and what we can’t, the less likelihood that the Legion will actually survive. This is not an open-ended discussion. There is a definite end,” said Kuzminski, explaining that the organization depends on the funds it receives in rent to pay the bills.
In an interview last month, Cathy Jenkins, manager of municipal and reality services for Jasper National Park, said Parks is open to reviewing any proposals that the Legion brings forward.
Kuzminski said since the Legion’s possible demolition hit the news, he’s had some community members come forward with ideas. He said he hopes to have some concrete proposals to bring forward to Parks in the coming weeks.
“We’re open to all proposals; we’re willing to explore any idea,” he said. “I just hope the powers that be are just as willing.”
Nicole Veerman
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