Opinion

Dear Editor, Congratulations to the Friends of Jasper on the occasion of their 30th anniversary.

Dear Editor, I would like to voice my disappointment and frustration at the appearance of the boulevard along Connaught Drive. We consider ourselves a world-class destination.

In the past, Parks Canada has been criticized in this space for engaging the public for the sole purpose of crossing public consultation off its decision-making to-do list. But that can’t be said of the agency’s latest decision.

Dear Editor, I was very concerned to read that Maligne Tours is proposing to build a 66-suite lodge and 15 tent cabins at Maligne Lake (“Overnight accommodation proposed for Maligne Lake”). Maligne Lake is my favourite place in the world.

Tourism Jasper markets our community and park as a place where “the wild has never left the wilderness.” Jasper, according to our marketing organization, is a sanctuary for visitors to retreat to.

Dear Editor, Is there no end to the demands of commercial interests to grab a piece of paradise and destroy it forever? This time it’s Maligne Lake, the crown jewel of this glorious park.

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.

Dear Editor, I am writing today about the very upsetting news that Shell Canada is planning to close the Jasper Shell Station, which has faithfully served our community since 1936.

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.

Of course pipelines are safe Dear Editor, Hans and I just returned from a nine-day fishing trip. The landscape between Jasper and Kitimat was extremely rugged, beautiful and mountainous.