🏠 1-Bed Rent Hits $2,389

Good morning, Bow Valley!

We’re expecting a healthy number of “out of office” replies once we hit send on this. Hope you’re squeezing every last drop out of the Family Day long weekend. Not to be the bearer of buzzkill energy, but winter returns. Starting late tonight into Tuesday, about 12 cm of fresh snow is on the way, and by midweek, morning temperatures are set to slide back toward the -20s. Enjoy the soft landing today.

— Fortune Whelan, Ben S., Sneha Kainth, Madalyn Beach

CANMORE ONE-BEDROOM RENTS HIT $2,389 IN 2025, UP 10%

What’s Happening? Average advertised rent for a one-bedroom in Canmore climbed to $2,389 in 2025, up 10.1% from 2024, even as rents for some larger units dipped.

The Mixed Bag. According to newly released stats from the Canmore Community Housing, rent trends weren’t one-directional:

• 1-bedroom: $2,389.69 (↑ from $2,170.97 in 2024)

• 2-bedroom: $3,211.35 (↓ from $3,399.93 in 2024)

• 3-bedroom: $4,121.65 (↑ from $3,959.27 in 2024)

• 4+ bedroom: $4,757.08 (↓ from $5,895.28 in 2024)

The report notes four-plus bedroom averages can swing wildly year to year due to low listing volume. A few pricey homes can tilt the math.

How the Numbers Were Compiled. The data comes from weekly tracking by Canmore Community Housing staff, who monitor advertised long-term rental listings across local property management websites and platforms such as RentFaster and Kijiji. Short-term rentals and 30-day-only listings are excluded to better reflect the long-term market. Important caveat: these numbers track advertised asking rents, not signed leases. In other words, what renters saw online, not necessarily what they paid.

More Listings, Finally. There were 365 long-term rental listings recorded in 2025, up from 286 in 2024. The sharpest increases came in Q3 and Q4, nearly doubling year over year in both quarters. That brings 2025 more in line with 2022 and 2023 levels, raising the possibility that 2024 was the anomaly rather than the norm.

Policy in the Background. The report points to Canmore’s Livability Tax as one possible factor behind the rise in long-term rental listings. The tax applies a higher rate to homes not occupied as a primary residence for most of the year. The intended goal is to encourage more full-time occupancy and generate funding for below-market housing. But the practical incentive is straightforward: some second-home owners may choose to rent their properties out long term rather than pay the higher tax rate. Canmore Community Housing says it is too early to draw firm conclusions about how much of the rental listing increase can be attributed to the tax. 

Dive into the full 2025 Canmore rental breakdown.

SOLAR REBATES ARE BACK IN THE BOW VALLEY. HERE’S HOW TO ACTUALLY USE THEM

What’s Happening? Solar rebates are back in the Bow Valley for spring 2026. The Town of Canmore has a short application window, while Banff offers rebates year-round.

Why Now Matters. Late winter is a smart time to look at solar. You can get a clear plan and pricing now, apply for rebates on time, and be ready to start generating power once spring sunshine hits.

First, A Quick Reality Check. If you’re like us and hear things like kilowatts, system size, or per kW and your eyes glaze over, you’re not alone. In simple terms: a kilowatt (kW) is just a way of describing how big your solar system is. Bigger roof, more panels, higher kW, bigger rebate. You don’t need to be an energy expert. A solar installer figures this part out for you (for free).

Canmore: The Town of Canmore is accepting applications from now until Mar. 31, 2026.

• Homes: 20 rebates of $1,250 each. Your system needs to be at least 3 kW (a fairly typical home setup).

• Businesses & multi-family buildings: $750 per kW, up to $20,000. For condos or apartments, the system has to power common areas and/or all units.

• Deadline to finish work: Installations and inspections must be done by Dec. 15.

• What you’ll need: A quote and a simple rooftop sketch from a solar installer.

Banff: The Town of Banff accepts applications year-round, so there’s less pressure.

• Homes: $450 per kW, up to $9,000.

• Businesses: $750 per kW, up to $15,000.

• Bonus: Solar permit fees are waived. Rebates are paid after the system is installed and approved.

Getting Started. Infinity Solar Group can put together a free solar design and proposal, explain the numbers in plain English, and help you hit rebate deadlines. Get a free solar design here and see what actually fits on your roof.   

_{*Presented by Infinty Solar.}

THE DIGEST

• ⛷️ Canmore’s Britt Richardson Wraps First Olympics in 26th. If you weren’t up at 2AM on Sunday, here’s the quick recap: she finished 26th in the women’s giant slalom with a combined time of 2:16.65. Richardson said a mistake near the end of her first run set her back, and an early error in the second made it tough to claw back time. The announcer called Richardson “wise beyond her years.” For the 22-year-old Canmore skier, it was a valuable Olympic debut. Watch her race here. 

• 🔥 Chimney Fire Briefly Closes Waldhaus at Banff Springs. A chimney fire at the Waldhaus Restaurant inside the Fairmont Banff Springs was contained to the chimney on Feb. 5, with no injuries reported. Banff Fire Department crews arrived just before 6 PM and cleared the scene shortly after 7 PM. Staff evacuated the area, and the restaurant reopened the next day. Chimney fires are often caused by built-up soot igniting under high heat. Fairmont has not confirmed a specific cause or whether there was additional structural damage.

• 📈 Alberta’s $236M Parks Plan Bets on More Access Without Clear Limits. The province has rolled out new recreation and conservation strategies backed by $236 million, aiming to expand access while protecting ecosystems across parks, including Bow Valley Provincial Park. The frameworks emphasize infrastructure upgrades, enforcement, and visitor management. But Banff-Kananaskis MLA Sarah Elmeligi says it lacks clear capacity limits and measurable success indicators. For a Bow Valley already juggling crowded trailheads and wildlife conflict, the real test will be how these big-picture promises translate into on-the-ground guardrails.

• 🐱 Gary the Cat Just Pulled 1.2M Views From a Banff Lake. We were scrolling Instagram this weekend when we spotted our Bow Valley’s favourite feline, Gary the Cat, napping on a kayak in the middle of a Banff lake. Gary is no stranger to local fame, but this particular clip has already racked up 1.2 million views, with fans in the comments calling for a full Gary documentary. We agree. Get this guy on the big screen.

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.

CANMORE’S NEW WILDFIRE MODEL USES INCOME TO HELP TARGET MITIGATION

What’s Happening? Canmore has unveiled a new wildfire planning map that blends fire science with income and housing data, aiming to show how the same blaze could hit some households far harder than others.

Risk Isn’t One-Size-Fits-All. Traditional wildfire maps focus on fuel loads, ember exposure, and building materials. Canmore’s new Wildfire and Social Vulnerability Map keeps those layers but adds social data like median income, age, housing cost burden, immigrant status, and housing type.

The Idea: Losing a home as a lower-income, multi-generational household may carry very different consequences than for an affluent owner with a second residence elsewhere. Town officials say planning should reflect that reality.

What’s Under the Hood. The model pulls together wildfire behaviour data, FireSmart assessments, building characteristics, property values, and neighbourhood demographics. It also distinguishes between primary residences, second homes, tourist accommodations, employee housing, and supportive housing.

By overlaying wildfire exposure with social vulnerability, the map highlights where risk and recovery challenges intersect.

How It’ll Be Used. Officials stress this isn’t a public scorecard for neighbourhoods. Instead, it’s an internal planning tool to guide:

• Where fuel reduction and hazardous tree removal happen first

• Where FireSmart programs are concentrated

• Where outreach, education, and incentives may have the biggest impact

It won’t change how emergency crews respond during a fire. But it will shape where the town invests in prevention and resilience ahead of time.

Why Now. Wildfire is identified as one of Canmore’s most significant climate-related hazards. After a 2025 review found a gap in measuring household-level vulnerability, the town moved to build a model that looks beyond trees and rooftops, and toward people.

Read our full story to understand the new mapping tool. 

THINGS TO DO

Monday

• Family Day on the Ice. Looking for an easy, fresh-air plan? Outdoor skating rinks in Banff and Canmore are open and free for Family Day. Lace up, bring a thermos, and enjoy a few laps. It is a simple way to spend time together and make the most of the long weekend outdoors.

Tuesday

• Fortress Proposal Info Session. A proposed year-round resort at Fortress Mountain would redevelop 3,600 hectares of Crown land in Kananaskis with lifts, lodging, attractions, and a base village. To unpack what that could mean locally, the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society Southern Alberta is hosting a public info session. 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM. Canmore Miner’s Hall. Free.*

• Movie Night: Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere. Before the stadium tours, there was a 4-track recorder and Bruce Springsteen alone with his thoughts. This film explores the making of his stripped-down 1982 album Nebraska, a stark collection of songs about hard times and harder truths. Starring Jeremy Allen White, it’s an intimate look at creativity under pressure. 7:00 PM. artsPlace, Canmore. $6-$12.*

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• 🌿 Emerald Lake Retreat Offers a Spring Reset. If winter left you feeling a little wound tight, this is your cue to exhale. The Emerald Lake Wilderness Yoga Retreat runs April 23 to 26 at Emerald Lake Lodge, hosted by renowned holistic wellness instructor Sarah Harvie. Think daily lakeside yoga and meditation, chef-prepared meals, and time carved out to explore or simply sit still. The goal is simple: more clarity, better movement, deeper rest. Three days of mountain air and uninterrupted focus on you. Limited spots.

• 🧗 Canmore Climber Evan Hau on Reaching the Sport’s Highest Level. Hau is featured in a new podcast episode after becoming the first Canadian to climb 5.15a, one of the hardest grades in the world, achieved by only a small number of climbers globally. He talks about the years-long process of sending routes, balancing elite training with running a tutoring business, and what it’s like chasing personal bests with his 40th birthday around the corner. It’s a candid look at high-level climbing rooted in the Bow Valley.

• 👩🏻 International Women’s Day Paint Night. Celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8 with an evening of creativity, connection, and reflection in the private room at The Fat Ox of Banff. This guided and intuitive painting experience invites participants to explore strength and self-expression on canvas, alongside a talk from Ange Heli, founder of After Glow Lifestyle Coaching. Food and beverages available for purchase. Details here.*

• 🚧 Banff’s Caribou Street Alley Closed for 3-4 Weeks. Heads up if you cut through downtown: starting tomorrow (Feb. 17), the alley between Banff Avenue and Bear Street will be closed at Caribou Street, and Caribou itself remains closed between Banff Ave and Bear. Crews are digging about five feet down to access an underground duct bank, your guess is as good as ours on what a duct bank is. Plan an alternate route.

• 🔒 Sally Borden Aquatic Centre Closed Until March 6. The Aquatic Centre at Sally Borden will be closed for maintenance from Feb. 17 to March 6. That means the 25-metre pool, hot tub, wade pool, and Women’s Change Room are all off-limits during that window. Public swim times, Aquafit classes, and swimming lessons are cancelled. The Town of Banff says staff will contact affected lesson participants directly.

• ⛷️ Olympic Throwback: When Ski Ballet Was a Thing. Before halfpipes and slopestyle finals, ski ballet twirled its way onto the Olympic stage as a demonstration sport at the 1988 Winter Games in Calgary. Think figure skating, but on skis. The tricks were different, the outfits were bold, and yes, it was judged.  Check out the throwback video.

CIVIC NEWS

• Canmore Considering Doubling Public Art Funding. Canmore is weighing a draft Public Art Plan that would bump funding from 0.5% to 1% on major municipal construction projects over $1 million, effectively doubling the slice set aside for art. The plan also introduces clearer project selection, performance indicators, and a new cross-department staff team to avoid past coordination hiccups. 

LIVE MUSIC

• Monday, February 16th, 2025, 9:00 PM: The Last Dinosaurs. Location: Melissa’s MisSteak, Banff. $41.85.

• Tuesday, February 17th, 2025, 5:00 PM: Mister Bird. Location: Drake Pub, Canmore. No Cover.

SPORTS

• Canada Posts Best-Ever Men’s Olympic Cross-Country Relay Finish. Canmore’s Xavier McKeever, alongside Antoine Cyr, Rémi Drolet, and Tom Stephen, raced to fifth in the men’s cross-country skiing team relay at the Milano Cortina 2026 Olympic Winter Games, delivering Canada’s best-ever Olympic finish in the event. Watch the race recap here.

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.