✈️ Plane Lands on Highway 1

Good morning, Bow Valley!

Happy official fall, everyone! Our publisher, Ben, rolled into the office wearing flannel this morning. He claims this has nothing to do with the change of seasons and that flannel is year-round fashion. We’ll let you decide. Anyways, enjoy flannel and pumpkin season. 🍂

-Ben S., Fortune Whelan, Brendan Nogue, Alexia Chambers, Keith Fernandes

WOULD A HUGE PARKING LOT OUTSIDE DOWNTOWN ACTUALLY HELP CANMORE?

What’s Happening? As Canmore plans how people will move around town over the next 15 years, Tourism Canmore Kananaskis (TCK) has suggested exploring parking outside the busiest parts of town as one way to tackle summer congestion.

The idea is known as “intercept parking.” Basically, drivers park before reaching downtown, then continue by transit, walking or cycling.

But This Isn’t A Proposal For A Giant Parking Lot. TCK CEO Rachel Ludwig told Bow Valley Insider that intercept parking was just one of many suggestions the organization submitted as part of the Town’s new Transportation Plan.

“We understand there is never a single solution and believe planning should be based on strong data and future forecasting,” Ludwig said. TCK hasn’t proposed a location or said Canmore should actually build a facility.

Why Talk About It Now? Canmore recorded more than 10.3 million vehicle trips in 2025, but how people get around is shifting. Personal vehicles accounted for 75% of summer trips, down from 81% in 2022, while walking, cycling and transit rose from 19% to 25%. The Town wants that figure to reach 40% by 2030.

Meanwhile, parking was the most commonly identified transportation challenge among drivers in the Town’s latest public engagement, which received more than 1,316 contributions.

We’ve Actually Seen This Before. Last year, Canmore approved Connect Downtown, a 25-year plan for the town centre that already identifies an “intercept parking facility” as a potential way to keep vehicles out of downtown. It’s listed as a major project costing more than $1 million, but the Town hasn’t committed to building one or chosen a location.

The Transportation Plan being developed now is separate and looks at how people move throughout Canmore, including roads, parking, transit, walking and cycling. It could help determine whether intercept parking should actually become part of Canmore’s transportation network.

And Banff Offers A Nearby Example. Its free train station lot, opened in 2019 near the edge of downtown, intercepts about 11% of traffic that would otherwise continue downtown. But the lot still reaches peak occupancy on weekends and many weekdays in July and August. 

Read our full story

THE SPA IS USUALLY FOR GROWN-UPS. NOT ON SEPTEMBER 25. 

One of Canmore’s best-known spas is doing something a little different this month: letting the kids in.

This Friday (Sept. 25), Everwild is opening its Nordic-inspired thermal experience to families with children ages six and up for one special afternoon.

From 2-6 PM, families can move through the thermal circuit together, with programming adapted specifically for younger guests. Think lower-heat mini sauna rituals with scents and storytelling, mini yoga, family sound baths and interactive stations where kids can learn about sauna traditions, herbs and thermal cycling.

There’s also a Family Wellness Journey with activities and a prize draw, plus hot chocolate, warm apple cider and other spa-side treats. Every admission even includes a sauna hat.

Want to really commit to their first spa day? 30- and 60-minute kids’ massages with registered massage therapists can be added separately.

Family Day passes start at $65 per person, with timed arrivals throughout the afternoon.

Book Everwild Family Day for September 25.

_{*Presented by Everwild Canmore.}

THE DIGEST

• ✈️ Plane Makes Emergency Landing On Highway 1 Near Banff. A plane experiencing a mechanical issue landed on the highway west of Banff Tuesday afternoon around 2 PM, with no injuries reported. Conveniently, the pilot was also an airplane mechanic and repaired the issue himself. Several hours later, RCMP and Parks Canada briefly closed Highway 1 so the plane could use the road as a runway again, taking off without issue at 5:15 PM. The full highway closure lasted roughly 15 to 20 minutes. Watch the video.

• 🍂 Some Banff Larch Areas Could Be Less Golden This Fall. Parks Canada says a native moth outbreak is turning alpine larches brown and thinning their needles across parts of Banff and Yoho. The hardest-hit stretch runs from Healy Creek to Lake Louise, including popular larch areas around Healy Pass, Taylor Lake, and Moraine Lake, while Lake O’Hara is also seeing severe impacts. The good news: the trees aren’t expected to die. But for hikers, some normally golden landscapes could look noticeably different this season.

• 🚧 Over In Kananaskis, Popular Larch Hikes Are Closed. Smutwood Peak, Tryst Lake and Commonwealth Valley are off-limits after a grizzly bear bluff charge prompted Alberta Parks to close a large section of the Spray Valley on Sept. 19. The closure comes right as fall hiking season hits one of its busiest stretches and will remain in place until further notice. WildSmart says grizzlies are spending significant time at higher elevations right now, putting bears and larch hikers in many of the same places.

• 🕑 Golden Changes Its Mind And Will Match Alberta’s Clocks. After weeks of time-zone drama, Golden has reversed its earlier decision to align with most of B.C. Instead, the town will stop changing its clocks and stay on Mountain Daylight Time year-round, matching Alberta and the rest of the East Kootenay region. Council reconsidered after receiving more feedback from residents. The trade-off? Golden is expecting darker winter mornings and plans to work with the local school district on pedestrian and road safety. 

Our Ads Are Supposed To Make You Money.

So far in 2026, we’ve generated $25,313 in business for our cleaning partner, Zoe.

She does residential and commercial cleaning. You’ve probably seen her ads in Bow Valley Insider.

She makes a lot more from those ads than she spends with us.

That’s exactly how advertising should work.

If you’re a local business and want to get in front of the Bow Valley’s largest local audience, let’s talk.

HE SUFFERED A HEART ATTACK ON LADY MACDONALD. A REMARKABLE RESCUE FOLLOWED.

What’s Happening? A 42-year-old former professional hockey player went into cardiac arrest near the top of Lady MacDonald on August 25. A remarkable series of circumstances, including three passing hikers with medical experience and a mountain rescue team arriving as his heart stopped, helped save his life.

It Started With Chest Pain. Breton Lindoff and his wife, Katie, had spent about 2.5 hours hiking up the mountain when Breton suddenly became nauseous and dizzy during lunch near the old helicopter pad. His heart rate swung between roughly 40 and 140 beats per minute before severe chest pain set in.

Katie called 911, knowing she couldn’t get him down the mountain herself.

Then Help Started Arriving. After about 30 minutes alone, a passing hiker stopped who had worked as an EMT roughly 20 years earlier. About 30 minutes later, two more hikers arrived who happened to be doctors, including one from Alberta Children’s Hospital.

Around the same time, a helicopter and rescue workers reached the area.

Then Breton’s heart stopped.

Rescuers and one of the doctors performed CPR and repeatedly shocked his heart with a defibrillator. After about 10 minutes, they regained a pulse and airlifted him off the mountain.

But It Wasn’t Over. Breton lost his pulse again around the time he reached Canmore hospital. After being stabilized and transferred to Foothills Medical Centre, doctors discovered a complete blockage in one of his main arteries and inserted a stent.

He spent nearly six days in hospital and, despite concerns about possible brain damage following the cardiac arrest, his long-term memory remained intact.

Now He’s Back Home. Breton is undergoing cardiac rehabilitation and has been cleared to walk and jog. The couple says the experience reinforced the importance of carrying extra clothing and emergency supplies, even on familiar trails, and knowing CPR.

“I’m very, very grateful to be alive,” Breton told Bow Valley Insider.

Read our full interview

THINGS TO DO

Wednesday

• Bow Valley Women In Business Event In Banff.  Lara Murphy, co-founder and CEO of Calgary Wild FC and owner of Calgary’s only female-owned commercial construction company, is headlining the Bow Valley Chamber’s Women in Business event. She’ll share how she built a career spanning construction and professional women’s soccer, with lessons on entrepreneurship and taking big career leaps. 6:30 PM - 9:00 PM. Moose Hotel, Banff. $45 members, $85 non-members.*

• Canmore Event Explores How Policy Affects People. Frankie D’s is hosting a free night of donuts, local stories, and conversation. Bow Valley residents will share how public decisions have affected their lives, followed by small-group discussions. Topics may include immigration, disability, Indigenous identity and more. Join the conversation or simply listen. And yes, Frankie D’s donuts are provided. 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. artsPlace, Canmore. Free, registration required.*

• Free Weekly Improv Classes Start Tonight. Pine Tree Players is kicking off a new 12-week improv program for Bow Valley adults, and complete beginners are welcome. Each Wednesday, you’ll work through theatre games, improvised scenes and exercises designed to build confidence and help you think on your feet. No registration or commitment required, just drop in. 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM. Elevation Place, Room 212. 18+. Free.* 

Thursday

• Drag Bingo Takes Over Grizzly Paw’s Beer Garden. Our friends at Grizzly Paw are hosting an outdoor night of drag performances, two rounds of bingo and prizes this Thursday. Food and drinks will be available, and the event runs rain or shine. Doors 4:30 PM. Bingo 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM. Grizzly Paw Beer Garden, Canmore. 18+. Early bird tickets are $20 through today, then $25. Grab your tickets.*

• Blood On The Clocktower Game Night. Banff Public Library is hosting another round of the popular social deduction game, where players work together to figure out who among them is secretly the demon. Expect plenty of bluffing, strategy and accusations as everyone tries to uncover the truth. 7:30 PM - 10:30 PM. Banff Public Library. Free.

BANFF RESTAURANTS ARE SERVING UP PRIDE THIS OCTOBER.

Banff Pride isn’t limited to marches, performances and late-night parties. From October 2 to 12, it will also be served across town.

Taste the Rainbow brings Pride-inspired food, colourful cocktails, desserts and limited-time specials to restaurants, cafés, bars and gathering places throughout Banff.

It’s a chance to experience the festival between events, whether that means grabbing something sweet, settling in for dinner or raising a glass with friends.

Among the participating venues are The Fat Ox, Rose & Crown, The Prow, Wild Flour, Juniper Bistro, Park Distillery, Hello Sunshine, Banff Ave Brewing Co. and The Bison. 

They’re part of 30 venues participating across Banff, each creating its own way for diners and drinkers to experience Pride. 

A minimum of $2 from every featured item sold will support Banff Pride Society and its year-round programming for the local 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

So, when Banff Pride begins, make a point of visiting the participating restaurants and trying a few of their Pride creations.

Then, check out the full Banff Pride Festival schedule and start planning the rest of your Pride.

_{*Presented by Banff Pride.}

COMMUNITY HIGHLIGHTS

• 📣 Banff Sport Medicine Is Hiring A Youth Research Intern. Banff Sport Medicine Foundation is looking for someone aged 16 to 24 interested in healthcare, science or research. The paid internship offers hands-on experience working with clinical research data, learning how studies are conducted and exploring careers in sport medicine and healthcare. It’s roughly 12 to 20 hours per week, with scheduling around school or other commitments. Applications are due Friday, Oct. 2. Email: [email protected].*

• 🍽️ Meet Some New People Over Food.  The Search is a casual weekly gathering at Our Lady of the Rockies built around sharing food and having real conversations about life’s bigger questions. Each Thursday includes finger food, a short video and guided table conversations about things like fulfillment, identity and purpose. People of any faith or no faith are welcome, and there’s no commitment to attend every week. Drop into one or keep coming back. 6 PM - 7:15 PM. Location here.*

• 🔥 Prescribed Fire Closes Trails North Of Lake Louise. Parks Canada is actively burning Point Camp and Singing Meadows in the Pipestone Valley, roughly 11 to 25 kilometres north of Lake Louise. Sections of the Pipestone, Molar Pass and Little Pipestone trails are closed while crews work (see closures). Smoke may be visible from Lake Louise, Highway 93 North and the Trans-Canada Highway. 

• 🚗 Banff September Long Weekend Traffic Drops Below 2019 Levels. Banff’s two main entrances recorded 112,686 vehicle trips over the September long weekend, down 7% from both last year and pre-pandemic 2019. Traffic on Mountain Avenue was down even further, falling 27% compared with 2019. Meanwhile, more people were taking the bus: Roam recorded 34,593 riders on its Banff routes, up 5% from last year. 

• 📀 Canmore Musician Releases New Country Album. Canmore resident and Banff worker Tyler Wood has released a new album blending country with his longtime love of rock. Wood, who has performed at the Bow Valley Boot Stomp for the past two years, says the project helped him find his sound as an artist. The deeply personal album is dedicated to his late mother and touches on grief, mental health and self-acceptance. 

CIVIC NEWS

• Banff’s 90-Unit Housing Project Is Being Split In Two. The Town is subdividing its $42-million Wolf Street development so funding agreements can be tied specifically to the rental building, rather than future homeowners’ titles. The project includes 75 below-market rentals, 15 price-restricted ownership units and 8,000 square feet of community space. Construction is underway, with completion expected by the end of 2027. 

LIVE MUSIC

• Wednesday, September 23th, 2026, 10:00 PM: Elevate 360. Location: Melissa’s MisSteak, Banff. No Cover. $11.30.

• Wednesday, September 23th, 2026, 10:00 PM: Contra: ATR. x Frontline UKG. Location: Sizzler’s, Banff. No Cover. $11.30.

• Thursday, September 24th, 2026, 10:00 PM: 90's & 2000's Hip Hop Night. Location: Sizzler’s, Banff. No Cover. No Cover.

SPORTS

• Canmore Eagles Start The Season 2-0. Yes, it’s still very early days, but the Eagles are off to a strong start. Canmore improved to 2-0 Tuesday with a 6-4 win over the Olds Grizzlys, giving them four points and putting them first in the AJHL South. 

That’s all, folks!

We’ll see you back here on Friday, 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.