Editorial

Check the radio, switch to an iPod. Find an artist, change the song. Punch in a location on a GPS. Drink coffee. Light a cigarette. Talk to a friend. Grab something from the backseat. Pick up the phone, send a text message.

Watching the flood waters rise in southern Alberta late last month and seeing similar waters attacking Toronto this week is a reminder of how fragile our communities are to unexpected natural disasters. In Jasper, the chance of a flood is low.

Is the news shocking? Not really. Thousands of Canadians knew a skywalk wasn’t something that belonged in a national park. They even voiced those concerns to the powers that be—Supt.

They’re full of tales of times past—tales that are invaluable to this town and region.

He asked them acknowledging that the project has put the municipality and council in an “uncomfortable” situation—a situation that has had the community questioning the municipality’s competency and transparency.

People are so excited to start their vacations, they drive while tired. They speed in order to spend just a few more minutes relaxing and soaking up the sun.

He left Wickenburg late last month and has been making his way north ever since.

People live like this because there is often no other option if they want the privilege of living in Jasper. There is no other retreat. Classified ads for house or apartment rentals rarely, if ever, grace the pages of the Fitzhugh .

Last year, the hot button issue was the Glacier Discovery Walk. This year, it’s the proposed winter backcountry closures on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

Jasper is a can-do community. When something needs doing, someone will surely step up and do it.