💰 $1.86M: Canmore’s Price Tag

Good morning, Bow Valley!

We keep stumbling across social media accounts from Aussies landing in Banff for their work season, and honestly, we can’t stop watching. There is something of a rite of passage in arriving in the Bow Valley with no job, no housing, and instantly bonding with everyone in the same boat. Here is the latest guy we found. Watch him discover Eddie Burger and see snow. Best of luck on your Banff adventures, Cale.

— Fortune Whelan & Ben S.

UNUSUAL SPIKE IN ROCK STACKING BECOMES A THREAT TO NATIVE FISH

What’s Happening? Parks Canada is warning visitors to stop stacking or rearranging rocks in the Kootenay River after staff dismantled 15 human-made structures that were blocking fish movement and altering the river’s natural flow.

Not Your Harmless Art Project. Rock stacking might look peaceful, but this summer’s structures were unusually large and disruptive. Some were built with big boulders that survived spring runoff and had to be removed by hand. “Many of these structures were made using large boulders,” said Catherine Lv, Communications Officer for the Lake Louise, Yoho and Kootenay Field Unit.

Why Moving a Few Stones Causes Big Problems. Those stacks do more harm than visitors realize. “Rock dams alter the flow of a creek, changing depth, water velocity, and temperature,” Lv explained. These changes do not mimic natural features that fish have adapted to. Instead, they create barriers that native trout cannot swim over. Young fry, which are present year-round, can get trapped in shallow pools created by these structures and become easy prey.

How Parks Caught It. Staff who routinely survey waterways for invasive species, fish health and waterfowl noticed the growing number and size of rock formations. Several were large enough that they persisted through high water and required full manual removal.

What Visitors Need to Know. Disturbing riverbeds can violate the Fisheries Act and National Parks regulations, though Parks Canada stresses education first. If you see a rock dam, do not climb in to move it. Instead, report it to staff and let the pros dismantle it.

Bottom Line. Balancing a few stones may feel harmless, but in the Kootenay River it can reshape water flow and threaten already vulnerable fish populations. As Lv put it, “Leaving natural features undisturbed helps protect the park’s ecological integrity.”

Read our full interview with Parks Canada + more pictures.

$20K REASONS TO GO SOLAR IN CANMORE

If you’ve been waiting for the right time to go solar, this is it. The Town of Canmore reopens its Solar Incentive Program in February 2026, offering 20 residential rebates worth $1,250 each, and they’ll go fast.

Canmore businesses and multi-family properties can also apply for $750 per kilowatt up to $20,000, along with EV charger incentives that cover 75% of installation costs up to $10,000. Stack that with the federal 30% Clean Technology Investment Tax Credit and your savings can grow quickly.

Infinity Solar Group handles everything from design and installation to permitting and rebate submissions so you can secure your incentives before the window fills. (Banff residents also have local rebate programs available).

These offers have limited spots and short timelines. Even if you’re just curious what your property might qualify for, get yourself a free solar estimate and see how much you could save before February hits.

(If you fill out the estimate form before November 30th, Bow Valley Insider readers will get an additional $500 off installation.)

_{*Presented by Infinity Solar.}

THE DIGEST

• ✨ Our Unsponsored Take on Everwild Spa. We have been seeing a lot of very curated Instagram content about the new Everwild Spa in Canmore. Perfect angles, luxury vibes, influencers gliding around like this is normal life. It made us wonder what the experience is actually like for real locals. Is this something we can genuinely use, or just another Bow Valley attraction designed for visitors while pricing out the community (cough…Basin Glacial Waters). So we went, we sweated, and we wrote the truth. Note: photos are the standard marketing ones because we left our phones in the locker room.

• 🏆 Banff Scores Two Spots on Canada’s Top 100 Restaurants. OpenTable, one of the country’s biggest restaurant booking platforms, released its 2025 Top 100 list, and Banff earned two spots: The Bison and Lupo. Because OpenTable handles huge reservation volumes, it pulls from over one million verified diner reviews and booking data. The final list shows Banff holding its own among the country’s top dining destinations. For all you foodies, here’s the final list.

• 📉 Canmore’s Housing Sales Decline, But Prices Keep Climbing. Royal LePage says the average price of a standalone house in Canmore is now $1.861 million, up 9.5% over last year. Condo prices dipped slightly to about $755,000, and overall sales fell 7% as inventory slowly rises. Most buyers still come from Calgary, Edmonton, and Red Deer, with a small bump from U.S. shoppers. Looking ahead, prices for standalone homes are expected to rise another 1.5% over the next year.

• 🚀 Our Banff Sign Video Blew Up. We did not expect our Banff sign unveiling video to hit almost a million views over the weekend, but apparently the internet had feelings about it. Most of you told us the new location is a big improvement, and honestly, we agree. We are hoping this is not our entire personality for the next year, but we will almost certainly be talking about it again in about six months when the full parkette is finished.

• 👨‍🚒 Bighorn Firefighters First to Use PFAS-Free Gear. The MD of Bighorn just became the first fire department in Alberta to switch all 60 of its firefighters to PFAS-free bunker gear, cutting out the “forever chemicals” linked to higher cancer rates. Canmore and Banff fire departments aren’t using it yet. The MD is also testing new wildfire-detection tech: an AI tower that spots smoke up to 20 kilometres away. 

We recently chatted with a local community group.

They were running workshops and needed more people to sign up. It cost $30 per person.

They told us they spent $500 on print ads to promote it.

Only two people signed up because of the ads.

That means they spent $500 to make $60. Tough math.

Print can work sometimes. For this group, it didn’t. The point is this: your marketing should clearly pay for itself.

If you want to talk about marketing with results, fill out this quick form.

RISING COSTS PUSH MORE CANMORE RESIDENTS INTO SUPPORT PROGRAMS

What’s Happening? New municipal data shows a sharp rise in residents seeking help, including a 115% jump in Tier 2 approvals, the category for households earning modest but still financially strained incomes.

Who is Using These Programs? Before the jargon hits, here’s the translation. Tier 1 supports the lowest-income residents, from individuals earning up to about $39,000 to families of four earning up to about $90,000. Tier 2 covers those earning slightly more but still struggling, from about $58,000 for individuals to about $105,000 for families of four. Together, the two tiers now support 650 households. Over the last year, Tier 1 approvals rose 14%  while Tier 2 doubled.

Food Access is Becoming a Pressure Point. This spring, local nonprofits and the Town launched the Community Food Cupboard, a free and anonymous source of shelf stable items. It immediately became one of the busiest support services in town. During the pilot, it saw 527 visits and distributed more than 7,200 items. Families, seniors, service workers, and people facing temporary or precarious housing all used it. The site also provided outreach supports like shower passes, bus tickets, and help navigating social systems.

Why Demand is Rising?  The trend lines are pointing in the same direction. One bedroom rentals climbed from $1,971 in 2022 to $2,171 in 2024. Prices for childcare, transportation, and basic goods continue to rise. Even the free Community Volunteer Income Tax Program saw higher use. Volunteers completed 371 tax returns for residents with modest incomes, helping them access nearly $1.93 million in benefits like GST rebates, seniors benefits, and child tax credits.

What’s Next? Both the Affordable Services Program and the Food Cupboard are expected to remain essential for a growing number of Canmore residents. Full story on our website. 

THINGS TO DO

Monday

• Memory Café. This program supports people living with dementia and their caregivers. Participants can enjoy a music activity followed by a light lunch, while caregivers connect in a separate space to relax and learn about resources. 11:00 AM – 1:00 PM. Origin at Spring Creek. Register at 403-609-3743. Free. 

• Living Well: Women 40+ Evening. Join retired family doctor Jane Fowke and life coach Barb Williams for a warm, supportive session on women’s health and well-being after 40. This explores physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes in midlife. 7:30 PM – 9:00 PM. Banff Public Library. Free.

Tuesday

• Award Winning Singer Songwriters in Canmore. Julian Taylor and Logan Staats come to town for an acoustic show. Expect a night of roots, folk, and soulful storytelling from two of Canada’s most acclaimed artists. 7:30 PM. artsPlace. $40. Tickets here.*

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• 🍫 Buying Chocolate This X-Mas? Support Local. You are going to hear us talk a lot about ways to support local businesses during the holidays, and this is the first. You are probably buying chocolate anyway, so skip the drug store aisle and support a local team that handcrafts everything in-house. At Rocky Mountain Chocolate in Banff, most of what you see on the shelves is made fresh every day by the chocolatiers behind the counter. We stopped by and filmed some of our favourite treats.*

• 🐰 Bunff the Lost Bunny Visits Radium. If you missed the backstory, start with our original article. The short version: a very well-travelled stuffed bunny named Bunff keeps popping up around the Rockies. The latest sighting was at Radium Hot Springs, where it was photographed enjoying a soak. Parks Canada used the moment to highlight the site’s long history as a healing place for Indigenous peoples and its 1914 bathhouse. 

• ⛸️ The Viral Ice-Skating Duo Is Back. Remember that viral ice-skating video that blew up with more than 12.5 million views a few winters ago, featuring figure-skating legend Elladj Balde doing a backflip. Well, he and Banff photographer Paul Zizka are back for round two. Their season-opening clip just dropped, and yes, it is every bit as unreal. 

• 🤝 Helping Hands Winter Collection. If you have extra winter jackets, boots, or cozy clothing, help stock the next Helping Hands Giveaway on December 13 in Mînî Thnî. Organizers are also collecting socks, underwear, baby items, linens, towels, and toiletries. Donations can be dropped off at Lockwood Autobody during the week.

• 🌲 Cut Your Own Christmas Tree (Legally). A friendly reminder that you can harvest your own Christmas tree on Crown land with a free Personal Use Forest Products Permit. You must be 18 or older, keep the permit with you on-site, and only cut in the approved zones. It is a great way to get a tree and support forest management.

• 🎰 Dirty Bingo at the Exshaw Legion. On Thursday, November 27 at 7 PM, head to the Exshaw Legion for a cheeky 18+ night of Dirty Bingo. With a $10 cover, open kitchen and bar, and a chance to win some playful romance-themed prizes, it’s guaranteed to be a fun couple of hours.*

CIVIC NEWS

• Canmore’s Wastewater Upgrade Just Jumped from $67 to $103 Million. A big part of the cost jump comes from switching to a new thingamajig called a membrane bioreactor system. The current plant has been running since the late 90s, and while the technology is dated and due for replacement, Canmore also has to meet provincial standards for any town that discharges into a river, plus prepare for future growth. The new price tag will be split between developers and residents. See what it means for your utility bill in our full article. 

LIVE MUSIC

• Monday, November 24th, 2025, 7:00 PM: Ashley MacIsaac. Location: Canmore Brewing Company.  $40.

SPORTS

• Canmore’s Connor Howe Sidelined With Back Injury. Canmore speedskater Connor Howe, a world championship bronze medallist in the 1,500 metres, missed this weekend’s World Cup races in Calgary due to a back injury. With Olympic qualification based on top-eight world rankings after the first four World Cups, his absence comes at a tough time, though he still has opportunities ahead of the 2026 Games.

• Slow Start to Rockies Ice Climbing Season. If you’ve noticed fewer ice climbers out this month, here’s why. Warm daytime temperatures are delaying the usual freeze-up, so many popular climbing spots simply aren’t frozen yet. Nights are cold enough to refreeze, but daytime thawing keeps melting the progress. A few major routes have iced up just enough for early climbers, but most areas still need a solid cold snap.

That’s all, folks!

We’ll see you back here on Wednesday, same time, same place! 

Heads Up: We sometimes feature paid promotion from local businesses and organizations we trust. When you see a little asterisk (*), that means it’s a sponsored post. We only work with partners we think our readers will actually care about.