Editorial

I’ll admit it, our Christmas tree is up already. If there was ever a winter to start the most wonderful time of the year a little early, 2020 is the one to do it. I think we all need a boost of festive cheer this year.

A couple snowshoes on the shore of Maligne Lake. | Parks Canada photo Ah, winter. Snow is falling, the ski hill is open, and fresh ice is starting to form around the national park.

November is Family Violence Prevention Month, a time for us to raise awareness and recognize what we can do to help those experiencing it. Family violence is devastating and happens every day, and in many different ways.

Halloween: What was once a single night of chilling celebration now seems to last all month. Spooky season has grown, and I must admit, I love it.

Here we are, seven months later, with the highest active number of COVID-19 cases Jasper has seen yet. The rise, many would say, was inevitable. Doctors have been citing a probable ‘second wave’ since the early days of the pandemic.

Marking the occasion Two milestones are being noted this week. Not only was it Jasper National Park's 113th birthday on Monday, but it is also my anniversary as editor and publisher of the Fitz .

It has been a long battle for the Jasper Skatepark Committee, the group pushing for a new skatepark in town. Led by chairman Darrell Savage, the committee has worked hard to raise more than $100,000 through donations, grants and fundraising events.

When the pandemic hit five months ago (I can’t believe it’s been that long), working life changed for everyone.

So, council made the big decision: Wearing a mask or face covering is now mandatory in indoor public spaces in Jasper. If you have followed my editorials over the last few months, you will know I am an advocate for public mask-wearing.

Yikes. That hike in COVID-19 cases over the weekend was a little scary. On Friday, 858 active cases were reported in the province, on Monday, there were 1,116.