Jasper is often touted as a welcoming place, a small, friendly town in the Rockies where a sense of community still survives. And yet the town faces constant challenge in providing proper, sustainable housing for many within its midst.
The town of Jasper currently has a residential vacancy rate of zero per cent. Seeking to address local housing needs, the Jasper Community Housing Corporation hosted a community café on March 14 to tackle issues including affordable housing, rental availability, changing demographics and assisted living for the disabled.
If a canvasser hasn’t already been to your home, the Jasper-Yellowhead Museum and Archives may soon be knocking on your door as part of a campaign to help preserve the roof over its head. With tighter budgets, loss of grant money and an aging facility, it’s getting harder to house and display this region’s history.
Then there is the Woodland caribou, threatened by shrinking habitat and encroaching predators. Yet, in trying to provide a place for the caribou, Parks Canada’s proposed strategy threatens to evict others.
With so many varied interests, where do we find the balance? How do we create a home that is welcoming to all? As preparations get underway for the busy summer season and its regular influx of seasonal workers, and the many visitors who will follow, hospitality—the practice of creating a welcoming place, a sense of home—ought to be at the forefront of everyone’s minds.
That is the intent behind the “Share the Spirit” program, launching for the season on May 13. Run in collaboration between Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, the Jasper Adult Learning Council, Tourism Jasper, the Municipality and Parks Canada, the program is designed to give long-time residents and newcomers alike a better sense of their place in the community and their role as ambassadors.
Last year, participant numbers for the program were down from the prior season, from 117 to 61. If you haven’t attended yet, perhaps it’s worth asking yourself, can I be a better ambassador, a better host? As we strive to balance social, ecological and economic demands, empathy—the ability to appreciate other perspectives—is what is needed most.
A home is a place where we find comfort, welcome guests and draw sustenance. Sometimes it is our private retreat, sometimes our great Aunt Mildred drops by. We can shut the doors and hide but eventually we’ll have to face the world outside. Like great Aunt Mildred, the bigger issue of interdependence isn’t going away.
