📈Canmore’s Future

Good morning, Bow Valley!

Well, after Wednesday’s poll—burgers won! 🍔 Now, we’re on a quest to find the best burger in Canmore & Banff. Each week, we’ll hit a new spot, taste-test the contenders, and bring you our rankings. Tell us where to go first—drop your recommendations in our questionnaire!

In today’s Bow Valley Insider:

• Tourism operators step up financially to help Jasper recover 

• How the G7 in Kananaskis will handle wildlife conconcerns

• Last call for the Downtown Canmore redevelopment

• Plus, Valentine’s events, film screenings, comedy nights, & more!

Let’s get to it!

— Fortune Whelan & Ben S.

Quick note: In Monday's email, we discussed a story about cuts at Elevation Place and said, "Services like child-minding and Big Fun Day camps could be discontinued."  While it's now confirmed that the Child-Minding will, in fact, be discontinued on Dec 20, 2025, there will be no change to the Big Fun Camp.

Want to advertise to Bow Valley locals? Learn more.

TOURISM TITANS STEP UP FOR JASPER’S RECOVERY

What's Happening? Jasper just secured a major financial boost—$5.5 million—to aid in wildfire recovery and long-term tourism growth, thanks to heavy-hitters like Pursuit, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge, and Rocky Mountaineer.

Big Bucks, Big Impact. Pursuit is leading the charge with a $3M contribution, Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge is pitching in $1.5M, and Rocky Mountaineer is adding $1M. Jasper Brewing and Maligne Range Distilling are also raising over $300K through auction proceeds.

Where’s the Money Going? Funds will be funneled through community organizations like the Banff Community Foundation and Jasper Community Team Society. The goal? Support local businesses, fuel recovery efforts, and ensure Jasper remains a world-class travel destination.

Long-Term Vision. Tourism leaders emphasize this isn’t just about bouncing back—it’s about building a sustainable future for Jasper, keeping visitors coming, and making the town stronger than ever.

Just Hit The Market: 421 Stewart Creek Close

This gorgeous 4-bedroom custom-built home backs onto the Stewart Creek Golf Course, offering stunning views in a peaceful, nature-filled setting. With vaulted wood ceilings and floor-to-ceiling windows, the space is bright, airy, feeling like a true retreat! 

On top of the timeless mountain design and serene location, this home has RB1 zoning, which offers big potential! The basement comes with a separate entrance, perfect for a potential suite or extra living space. Whether you're looking for room to grow or a way to add rental income, this feature adds so much flexibility to the home!

☑️Built In Monogram Appliances
☑️Two Stone Facing Gas Fireplaces
☑️Double Attached Garage

For more information contact Lori and Alex or visit CanmoreAgent.com for a look at what’s new in the market! 

_{*Presented by (Mitchell Kocian Real Estate.}

THE DIGEST

• 🏆Castle in the Rockies Gets Forbes Nod. Fairmont Banff Springs made Forbes’ 2025 Travel Guide, cementing its spot among the world’s best. Its Fairmont Gold experience also earned a four-star award. We had to Google “Gold” — turns out, it’s a private lounge and canapés. Meanwhile, we’re just pocketing the tiny shampoos.

• 🏘️Housing Hero. An anonymous homeowner just handed Canmore Community Housing a major win—selling their unit well below market value. The Town pitched in $375K to secure the deal, and the home will soon go to a local in need. With a 550-person waitlist, every unit counts.

• 🚫Ski Trouble in Glacier National Park. One person ignored the Winter Permit System and entered a prohibited area, triggering a closure in West Rogers. Why? Allegedly to prevent others from following their tracks. Lesson: Know the rules, get the permit.

• 🤜G7 Summit vs. Grizzlies. With world leaders descending on Kananaskis in June, locals worry about how security forces will handle wildlife—especially grizzlies. A dedicated team will focus on preventing encounters, but with armed patrols in bear country, residents are asking: will training be enough, or will trigger fingers win over bear spray?

• 🚨Banff Turns Up Fire Safety. Banff is overhauling building and landscaping rules to reduce wildfire risk, including allowing metal roofs for the first time and banning flammable trees near buildings. The entire town is now considered a high-risk fire zone. The trade-off? A little less charm, a lot more protection from disaster.

DOWNTOWN CANMORE’S FUTURE: LAST CALL FOR FEEDBACK

What's Happening? Canmore is finalizing its Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) for downtown and wants one last round of public feedback before it heads to Council this spring.

Your Say, Your Downtown. Since 2023, the town has gathered input on what residents want for the future of downtown Canmore. Now, they’re asking if the draft plan reflects those ideas before locking it in.

How to Get Involved. You’ve got options: Take the final survey by March 2 (bonus—you could win a $100 downtown gift card), join the webinar on Feb. 24 at noon, or visit the pop-up at The Warm Up on Feb. 27 to share your thoughts in person.

Why It Matters? This plan will shape downtown Canmore through 2050. If you have opinions on housing, green spaces, traffic, or business development—this is your chance to weigh in!

THINGS TO DO

Friday (Valentine’s Day)

• 👩🏻‍❤️‍💋‍👨🏻Speed Dating on the Ski Hill. Do something new and adventurous—meet your potential match while hitting the slopes at Lifts of Love, Norquay's speed dating event where every chairlift ride brings a new opportunity to meet someone special or even your next ski buddy. 5:00 PM - 11:30 PM. Mount Norquay. $55

• 🎨Paint Night For Kids. Leave the kiddos with the staff at Crock-a-Doodle this Valentine’s evening and have the date night you deserve! Little painters aged 5-11 will paint a fun pottery project, play games, and have a pizza dinner. 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM. Crock-a-Doodle, Canmore. $35 registration is required.

• 🖌️Paint Your Partner. Celebrate February 14 with a fun Paint night painting your partner on Valentine’s Day. No experience is necessary. 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Listen Studius, Canmore. $85 per couple.

• 🎉Live at The Moxy Presents: Alpine Drag Club's Valentine's Stop Light Party. Drag, DJ, team games & mingling by colour: Red- Taken, Yellow- Open, Green- Single. 9:00 PM - 11:30 PM. Moxy, Banff. $15. 

Saturday

• Adoptable Dogs Open House. Long-term resident dogs Daisy, Kiki, Kohen, and Bedard will be available for visitation (and adoption). 2:00 PM - 3:45 PM. Bow Valley SPCA, Canmore. Free.

• Film Screening: Watch #MoCrazyStrong, an 18-minute award-winning film on Jamie’s recovery from a traumatic brain injury at the 2015 World Tour Finals. Q&A with Jamie & Jeanee MoCrazy follows. 3:30 PM, Village Sprung Tent, Banff Sunshine Village.

• Anti-Valentine’s Event. The Rocky Horror Picture Show Experience is back for one night only!  7:00 PM. Canmore Legion. $27.96. 

• heARTburn. Back for the eighth year, the local Burning Man community is proud to rock the Bow Valley with heart beats, dance beats, community connection, and creativity! 7:30 PM. artsPlace, Canmore. $59. 

Sunday

• Meet Birds of Prey: Get up close with Alberta Birds of Prey. Enjoy an interactive experience, hear their stories, and snap stunning photos. 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM. The Rimrock Banff.

• Wildlife Rules. Learn about wildlife through crafts, games, tours, and more. 11:00 AM - 5:00 PM. Banff Park Museum. Included with park admission or Discovery Pass.

• Free Balloon Twisting. Encore Events will take charge of your Family Weekend events at Ski Nakiska. 11:00 AM - 4:00 PM. Nakiska Day Lodge. Free. 

• One Night Stand for Men's Mental Health. Comedian Frank brings his absurd humor to Banff after the DIY Cross-Canada Tour. 7:00-10:00 PM, Banff Sizzlers. $27.96. 18+.

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• Valentine’s Gift Boxes & Cakes. Wild Flour Bakery is offering elegant gift boxes of pink macarons, gold-flake truffles, and heart-shaped cookies. Want something extra special? Try the Valentine’s Vegan Chocolate Torte, complete with a custom message for your loved one!

• Looking For A Last Minute Valentine’s Day Gift. Because they are worth it, and of course, you didn’t forget. The Love Kit from Alpenflora is the ultimate gift for that special someone in your life. Limited quantities are available. Act fast!

• It's Easy Vibes & Free Local Live Music On Community Fridays. Every Friday evening through the winter at Canmore Brewing Co., you'll find $6 happy hour pints along with all your friends & neighbours, too. 

• Last Day to Send a Pup-O-Gram. Head to the Adoption Centre and pick up a bag of tasty, homemade dog treats for your pup or send love to one of our very own shelter dogs with a Shelter-pup-gram. All sales go to helping dogs and cats in need at the Bow Valley SPCA!

• Restaurant Openings. Market Bistro opens back up today, and Iron Goat is back on the menu on Saturday. 

• Reminiscing about Banff. That time NHL Coach Mike Keenan bought drinks for an entire bar in Banff when he took the Chicago Blackhawks team out to relax. Does $12k even cover the entire bar tab these days? 

• Volunteer Opportunity: The Canmore Eagles need a volunteer to film home games for FloHockey! If you love hockey and have an eye for action, email [email protected] to join the team.

• Sold Out! The Banff Half is officially sold out, with limited spots left in the 10K. Register now before it's too late.

• Kid’s Camp. CanGolf is back with another fun & engaging Kids' Camp this Family Week! From February 17th to 21st, sign your kids up for individual days or the full five-day camp. 

• Model Call. A local photography team is looking for a married couple to model this Monday, Feb 17th, in Kananaskis. Please send a DM @elopewilder on Instagram with a bit about the two of you and a pic of your wedding attire. For your time, you’ll be compensated with a whole gallery of edited images.

CIVIC NEWS

• Canmore is moving to eliminate tourist homes from key redevelopment areas (Teepee Town, Bow Valley Trail, and downtown land use districts) to boost long-term rental availability. Existing units can continue operating, but no new ones will be allowed if the proposed changes pass after a March 11 public hearing. 

• Banff town council voted to end a salary top-up for councilors over 70 who lose access to the municipal health plan, aligning with policies for other employees. However, a narrow 4-3 vote will explore new group health options for staff and council members aging out of coverage. 

LIVE MUSIC

• Friday, February 14th, 2025,  5:00 PM: Sue Chick Denton Location: Canmore Brewing Company. No Cover.

• Friday, February 14th, 2025,  8:30  PM: The Barflyz. Location:Tavern 1883, Canmore. No Cover.

• Friday, February 14th, 2025,  9:00 PM: LifzGood Acoustic. Location: Rose and Crown Canmore. No Cover.

• Friday, February 14th, 2025,  9:30 PM: ​Michael Bernard Fitzgerald Location:Communitea, Canmore. $44 advance + $3.5 ticket processing fee & GST

• Friday, February 14th, 2025,  10:00 PM: Dean Lonsdale. Location:Rose and Crown Banff. $5 Cover.

• Saturday, February 25th, 2025,  8:30  PM: The Barflyz. Location:Tavern 1883, Canmore. No Cover.

• Saturday, February 15th, 2025,  10:00 PM: Dean Lonsdale. Location:Rose and Crown Banff. $5 Cover.

• Saturday, February 15th, 2025,  10:00 PM: Greg Doucette. Location:Rose and Crown Canmore. No Cover.

• Sunday, February 16th, 2025, 3:00 PM: Sunday Sessions. Location: Core Values, Canmore.  No Cover.

• Sunday, February 16th, 2025, 5:00 PM: Carlyn Patricia Reilly. Location: Wild Life Distillery. No Cover.

• Sunday, February 16th, 2025, 7:30 PM: Moulettes. Location: artsPlace, Canmore.. $35 / members $29.75 / youth $17.50

SPORTS

• Hockey. Canmore Eagles captain Rhett Dekowny just snagged AJHL Player of the Month after a red-hot January, nearly doubling his points and cracking the league’s top three scorers. With 23 goals and 53 points, he’s leading the Eagles to the top of the standings. 

• Skiing. For the first time since 1999, the NorAm Cup returned to Mount Norquay, and Alberta Alpine wants to make it a regular stop. With strong finishes from locals like Liam Wallace and Kiki Alexander, the event was a success—now they’re pushing for a return as soon as next season.

That’s all, folks!

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