🚗 Canmore vs Banff: Parking Wars

Good morning, Bow Valley!

If you’re new here, we run something called the Bow Valley Insider Adventure Club, where we organize the occasional excuse to get outside and try something new with our BVI community. Tomorrow, six of us are heading out to try ice climbing for the first time. We’ll be guided, helmets on, nerves managed. So, wish us luck! We’ll share some photos in Monday’s edition.

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

CANMORE CHANGES LOCAL PARKING RULES WHILE BANFF SPENDS $400K ON NEW PARKING TECH

What’s Happening? Both Canmore and Banff are overhauling their parking systems for 2026, replacing aging software and hardware as parking demand rises, but they are taking noticeably different paths.

Why This Is Happening Now. In both towns, staff pointed to reliability problems, service disruptions, and growing enforcement workloads as reasons to replace entire parking systems rather than continue patching older technology. The shared goal is smoother operations and fewer outages. How each town approaches that reset is where things diverge.

What’s Changing in Canmore? A new paid parking system goes live March 1. For residents, the biggest change is how free parking is accessed. Locals will still receive three free hours per day, but those hours must now be activated through PayByPhone, a web browser, or an app. Pay machines will no longer work for free parking. Drivers will also lose 15-minute parking increments, with most paid parking shifting to 30-minute blocks, a change staff say reduces transaction costs without affecting revenue.

Importantly, parking rates in Canmore are not changing: $5 per hour during peak season (May 15 to Oct. 14) and between $2 and $3 per hour in the off-season, depending on the day.

What’s Changing in Banff? Council has advanced $402,000 to replace parking meters and software after repeated reliability issues. Between January and September 2025, more than 15,000 tickets and warnings were issued, highlighting pressure on the system.

The replacement coincides with a major policy shift. Banff recently approved a 71% increase in peak-season parking rates, raising the hourly cost from $7 to $12. The new system is also expected to support stronger enforcement, including the town’s transition to Alberta’s tag-to-ticket system, which allows unpaid tickets to move through provincial courts.

The Bottom Line. Canmore is changing how parking works while holding the line on cost. Banff is upgrading the tech while leaning harder on enforcement and higher rates as congestion tools. 

A DIFFERENT WAY INTO CANMORE HOMEOWNERSHIP

Buying in Canmore usually means compromises. Too small. Too dated. Too competitive. Or you stretch further than you planned just to get in.

Alder & Stone takes a different approach.

This is a pre-sale community in Three Sisters Village designed for full-time living, with 1, 2, and 3-bedroom stacked and row townhomes that prioritize livable layouts, private outdoor space, and storage that actually makes sense for mountain life. At Alder & Stone, many homes include attached garages, walkout lower levels, or rooftop decks, and every unit has a balcony or patio.

The buying process is different too. 

With VIP access, buyers can secure a spot early with a refundable deposit, choose their preferred layout, and personalize finishes before construction begins. It also offers a flexible path to ownership, giving buyers the ability to lock in today’s price with no mortgage or carrying costs until possession.

Built by Distinctive Homes and backed by the Alberta New Home Warranty Program, Alder & Stone is designed for everyday life in Canmore, with homes that are practical, comfortable, and made to last.

The VIP list gives you early access to floor plans and layouts.

_{*Presented by Mitchell Kocian Real Estate.}

THE DIGEST

• 🏞️ The Highway 40 Waterfall Most Winter Hikers Never See. We just checked out one of Kananaskis’ most underrated frozen waterfalls, and no, it’s not the popular Green Monster. This one flies so far under the radar that most hikers have never even heard of it. Called A Bridge Too Far, it starts from the Galatea Creek trailhead and is mostly known only to ice climbers. You cross six bridges on the way to the frozen giant. For route details, safety considerations, and photos, check out our full write-up.

• ✅ Canmore’s Wildest Fundraiser Is Back, And It Involves a Fire Truck. Forget jumping into a frozen lake. On Feb. 26, the Canmore Polar Plunge returns with a twist that’s equal parts ridiculous and effective: participants get blasted by an icy fire hose from a Canmore Fire and Rescue ladder truck at Millennium Park. The “Polar Splash” raises money for Special Olympics Alberta, with a $50 registration fee and plenty of costume encouragement. Details here.

• ❄️ Mountain Snow That Feeds the Bow River Is Becoming Less Reliable. A new study led by researchers at Concordia University found that while Canada’s total snow water has increased since 2000, key western headwaters are quietly losing their ability to store usable water. In some mountain regions, snow water availability has dropped by more than 70%. The issue is not snowfall alone, but thinner, patchier snow that melts earlier. For places like the Bow Valley, that means snow is becoming a less predictable natural reservoir. Learn about the study’s findings.

• ⛷️ Blind and Visually Impaired Skiers Take Over Kananaskis. More than 80 blind and visually impaired skiers from Canada and abroad are in Kananaskis this week for the 48th annual gathering of Ski for Light Canada. The event pairs athletes with sighted volunteer guides for a week of cross-country skiing and races. Participants say the groomed trails offer rare independence and freedom, while the shared experience removes the need to constantly self-advocate. The week wraps with races up to 10 km staged out of William Watson Lodge.

Local Ads That Actually Work

Advertising isn’t a gamble. It’s an investment. And if that investment doesn’t pay off, what’s the point? At Bow Valley Insider, we don’t just run ads, we deliver outcomes. Pine Peak Paving booked a $7,500 job from a single ad. Zoe’s Cleaning added 46 new clients in 60 days. Osteopathy for All gained 21 new patients from five ads. That’s real, trackable ROI, not vague “reach” or “brand awareness.” If you’re tired of throwing money at ads you can’t measure, we’re the local partner who ensures your marketing dollars come back stronger.

➡️ Fill out this quick form and let’s chat

INSIDE THE CANMORE PROGRAM BUILDING CANADA’S FUTURE OLYMPIC BIATHLETES

What’s Happening? Biathlon may look simple, but in Canmore, a high-performance program is quietly developing some of Canada’s most promising future Olympians.

The Program Doing the Work. The Biathlon Alberta Training Centre (BATC), based at the Canmore Nordic Centre, trains athletes aged 18 to 23 during what many consider the most fragile stage of an elite career.

“Biathlon is unusual in how long it takes an athlete to reach their athletic potential,” said BATC athlete Malcolm McCulloch. “Most athletes don’t reach their peak endurance capacity until their late 20s.”

That reality shapes the program’s long-term focus. “The focus is keeping athletes in the sport for as long as possible,” McCulloch said, “to give as many athletes as possible the chance to reach their athletic potential.”

Why Canmore Matters. The Nordic Centre’s year-round biathlon range allows athletes to train consistently at an Olympic legacy venue. That advantage was recently reinforced by a $27.1 million provincial expansion that upgraded snowmaking, training trails, and the biathlon stadium to International Biathlon Union (IBU) standards, securing Canmore’s ability to host top-tier international events.

McCulloch called Canmore “the best facility in Canada” for the sport.

Results Are Showing. BATC’s patient approach is translating into results. Canada finished fourth at the 2025 IBU Youth and Junior World Championships mixed relay, and BATC athletes have posted strong performances on the Junior IBU Cup, including a fifth-place finish by Luke Hulshof.

“This generation of athletes is proving it is possible for Canada to compete and contend on the world stage,” McCulloch said.

More Than Just Racing. BATC operates as an athlete-led program, with team members taking on roles in fundraising, marketing, and equipment management alongside training and work.

“One of the key tenets of being on the team is leaving the team in a better position than when they joined,” McCulloch said.

What’s Next? The season continues with international races and a home finish at Canadian Nationals in Canmore. Program leaders believe several athletes are on track for the 2030 Olympics. Read our full deep dive on Canmore’s biathlon program.

THINGS TO DO

Friday

• Live Music at Canmore Brewing. Kick off the weekend with local musician Andy Perrin. Drawing from rock, pop, alternative, and country, Perrin delivers familiar favourites through fresh acoustic arrangements and live looping. 4:00 PM - 7:00 PM. Canmore Brewing. Free.*

• Tribute to Craft at Banff Social. Banff Social is celebrating handcrafted food and drink. Expect winter-inspired tastings like frost-cured West Coast salmon with mustard-maple aioli, whisky-flamed prairie bison with wild mushrooms, and seasonal cocktail samples. Grab a spot here. 4:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Banff Social.*

Saturday

• Metropolitan Opera’s La Bohème Comes to Canmore. The Metropolitan Opera brings its acclaimed Live in HD production to the screen, featuring Franco Zeffirelli’s lavish staging and Puccini’s timeless score. Follow young artists navigating love and loss in 19th-century Paris, sung in Italian with English subtitles. 10:55 AM. artsPlace. $12.50-$25.*

• Canmore Brewing’s Birthday Bash. Canmore Brewing marks nine years with a full-day celebration featuring live music from Tony Melo, Atlantic Standard, and The Brews. Expect a food truck, good vibes, and free entry, with music running through the evening. 1:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Canmore Brewing. Free entry.*

• Mountain Film Night in Kananaskis. Join Sherpas Cinema for a mountain film night at Woody’s Pub inside the Kananaskis Lodge. Two locally made films, Robson and The Mighty Quay, will screen with director Q&As, prize draws, and Après Session drink specials. 5:00 PM. Woody’s Pub, Kananaskis. 

Sunday

• A Winter Reset Workshop. This small workshop is designed to help you slow down, reset, and take better care of your body and mind. You’ll learn practical ways to support your nervous system through seasonal herbs, guided meditation, gentle reflection, and hands-on remedy-making. Expect a calm, welcoming evening. 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM. Heaven on Earth Herbals Apothecary, Canmore. $75. Tickets here.*

• Snowed In Comedy Tour. Celebrating its 15th year, the Snowed In Comedy Tour brings four standout comedians to Canmore for one high-energy night of stand-up. The lineup includes Dan Quinn, Paul Myrehaug, Pete Zedlacher, and Erica Sigurdson. 7:30 PM. artsPlace. $60. Some tickets still available.*

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• 🚘 Test an EV in Winter Driving Conditions. Curious whether an electric vehicle can handle Bow Valley winters? The Winter EV Driving Experience runs now until April 1. This free program pairs you one-on-one with local EV drivers for a two-hour at-home test drive, including highway driving, charging stations, and real answers without sales pressure.*

• 🎤 Live Music Launches at Murrieta’s in Canmore. We’re mentioning this now, so you can plan your weeknight ahead of time. Murrieta’s launches its first live music night on Monday, Feb 2, from 6:30 PM - 8 PM, featuring local performers Mister Bird, Carlyn Patricia Reilly, and John Van Hal. Enjoy $15 cocktails, plus a $49 three-course feature.*

• 📈 Canmore Recreation Pricing Increase. Starting February 1, recreation Elevation Place and Canmore Rec Centre membership fees will see a modest increase to reflect rising operational, staffing, and maintenance costs. For example, an adult Go Beyond membership will increase by $1.50/month.

• 👩‍❤️‍👨 Valentine’s Dinner at Evergreen Restaurant. There’s still time to book a Valentine’s dinner at Evergreen Restaurant, running Feb. 13 to 16. The multi-course menu leans romantic and indulgent, with options like Peruvian-inspired ceviche or potato gnocchi to start, followed by mains such as Spanish seafood paella, Alberta sirloin, or vegetarian beet cavatelli. Dessert seals the deal with a dark chocolate tart or cherry pavlova. Promised to be a memorable night in Banff.*

• 🎿 A Bow Valley Winter Tradition Returns. Mountain Madness Relay Race returns Feb. 13th, bringing Bow Valley teams together for a legendary winter showdown. Teams of five will tackle downhill skiing, running, skating, snowshoeing, and cross-country skiing across Banff, from Mt. Norquay to Sundance Park. It’ll be packed with costumes and prizes. Register by Feb. 6.

• ⭐ 40 Years with the Banff Fire Department. Congratulations to Assistant Chief Bruce “Smudger” Smith on 40 years of service with the Banff Fire Department. A respected leader, mentor, and keeper of the department’s history, Bruce’s dedication has shaped generations of firefighters and helped keep Banff safe.

CIVIC NEWS

• Canmore Public Art Plan Takes Shape. The Town of Canmore is developing a new long-term public art plan to guide the selection, funding, and management of artworks. The draft framework emphasizes Indigenous-led art, stronger coordination across Town departments, and clearer decision-making processes. 

LIVE MUSIC

• Friday, January 30th, 2025, 10:00 PM: With Intention. Location: Banff Ave Brewing. $10 Cash Cover at the Door.

• Saturday, January 31st, 2026, 7:00 PM: Doug Robb. Location: The Moxy, Banff. No Cover. 

SPORTS

• Canmore Climber Takes Gold at One of Ice Climbing’s Toughest Events. Canmore ice climber Sara Lilley won the women’s category at the Ouray Ice Fest in Colorado, one of the most prestigious events in competitive ice climbing. The victory came down to a razor-thin margin, decided by a single hold in the final seconds of the route. Lilley says the win reflects years of training across rock and ice terrain, much of it done in and around the Bow Valley. Read our interview with Lilley and watch the replay. 

That’s all, folks!

We’ll see you back here on Monday, 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.