Council voted to accept the 2013 operating budget, which includes a 4.72 per cent municipal tax increase, at their March 2 meeting.

The total budget sum came in at $13,352,484. This total doesn’t include the solid waste fee hike, which is still being determined by Parks Canada. 

In response to a 240 per cent fee increase to $16,822 to rent the Activity Centre for this year’s rodeo, the Jasper Heritage Rodeo Association is proposing a $10,000 contract to rent the facility instead.

“We knew that the increase was coming, and so we tried to figure out what we thought was fair and what was financially achievable for our organization,” said treasurer Gail Lonsberry, who presented the proposal to council.

The high school’s sustainability class is heading to Slave Lake this month in search of the community’s youth voice.

From April 18-21, six Jasper students will be interviewing their peers, as well as Slave Lake teachers, fire fighters, reporters and developers about the redevelopment of the community in the aftermath of its devastating 2011 fire. Each of those interviews will be recorded to later be turned into a 10-minute documentary that the community can use and learn from.

Jasper Junior/Senior High School teacher Adam Robb has been named a semi-finalist in the provincial Excellence in Teaching Awards.

He is joined by more than 100 other educators from across the province. 

Twice a year, Jasper’s seasonal workers find themselves frantically hunting for a job. April is one of those times.

For many of those workers, the seasonal lifestyle is stressful, but worth it because it means at least working six months of the year at a job they love.

When Joerg Michel sees a bear walking down Connaught Drive, he sees more than an animal, he sees a quirky little story that will be eaten up by his readers back home.

As a foreign correspondent writing regularly for about 30 newspapers in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, those kinds of stories are Michel’s bread and butter. 

Excavation is again underway on the new school land and, according to the school division, soon the building’s footings will be poured.

Although this winter no visible work was done on the Bonhomme Street land, plenty of work was done behind the scenes, as permitting, construction drawings and finishing details—like decisions on exterior and interior colours—were completed.

The municipality is seeking to engage the public on how they want to be engaged. 

“As a local government organization, public engagement is what we’re here for,” said Christine Nadon, manager of communications and IT. “The premise is that people are affected by decisions, therefore they should have their say in the decision-making.”

When Ghost Glacier released its grip on Mount Edith Cavell last August, more than 100,000 cubic metres of ice smashed into Cavell Tarn, creating a wave and air blast that destroyed the parking lot, picnic area and lower Path of the Glacier trail.

Fortunately, the massive ice avalanche happened in the early morning hours while Jasperites and visitors were still safely tucked in their beds.