Jasper could soon play host to a world-class culinary arts program, however whether the Legion still wants to host the program remains to be seen.
After completing a two-year study Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) has found that there is both a need and an interest to create a culinary program in Jasper and the Legion would be the best location to host the school.
The problem is the Legion is in a much better financial situation today than it was in 2014 when it first pitched the idea.
“It’s something the Legion has to look at seriously for the long-term survivability of the Legion, but the situation has changed,” said Ken Kuzminski, president of the Legion.
Over the past 12 months the Legion has managed to turn things around and garner a local following thanks to its ability to attract big name acts, such as Shred Kelly and Del Barber, as well as promote its local jam nights held every Friday evening.
Kuzminski said it will all depend on whether they can work out an agreement that is beneficial to both the Legion and GPRC.
“We’ve been working hard to make sure we’re able to keep the doors open and the lights on and we’re always looking at every single option that’s put forward to us,” said Kuzminski.
Don Gnatiuk, president and CEO of the college, said regardless of whether the Legion wants to host the culinary school or not, it doesn’t change the report’s findings.
“The thing we wanted to understand is whether there was a need, a real bonafide need for culinary training in Jasper, and based on what the community has told us and what the industry has told us there is,” Gnatiuk said, adding the Legion is still their number one choice.
The 670-page report is now in the province’s hands.
“Right now we think it is viable and we’d like to step forward, but we need to speak to the province about it to see if they concur with our findings and what advice and guidance they would give us,” said Gnatiuk.
To make the culinary school a reality it will also have to establish a community-based management structure and find partners to support the delivery of the program, including finding housing.
Mark Fercho, the town’s chief administrative officer, said the working group discussed a number of options to house students, including the possibility of housing them at the Legion.
He also said community support would be critical should the province decide to throw its weight behind the project.
“If this opportunity comes the community will really have to pull together to say that we do want this, we’ll use it and we’ll make it work,” said Fercho.
To get the program up and running GPRC said it will also require long-term commitments as well as investments from both the community and the province, however how much it will cost remains to be seen.
“It depends on how big of a first step we make and that’s got to be a discussion we have to have with the community, with the Legion and with the province,” said Gnatiuk.
“The thing we’ve learned is that the community is in, the hospitality industry is in and GPRC is in. The province has been watching this from a distance so we’ll see if they support this or not.”
Pattie Pavlov, manager for the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, welcomed the report and said the Chamber supported the initiative.
The report is the latest step in a process that began in 2014 when the college and the municipality first started discussing the idea. At the time GPRC pitched the Legion as a potential home for the program.
That year the college met with members of council, the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, the Jasper Hotel Association, Parks Canada and Habitat for the Arts to gauge the community’s interest.
At the time the program looked like a way to help the Legion shore up its bottom line after École Desrochers moved out of the building and into the new joint school facility in 2014.
For more information and background about the project visit: gprc.me/jasperproject.
Paul Clarke
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