Proposed Canmore Wellness Resort Draws 1,300+ Signatures in Opposition

A proposed health and wellness resort on provincially owned land near Canmore continues to draw organized opposition from residents, even as the project remains months away from entering the town’s formal approval process.

The proposal by Flo Alpine Spa Inc., owned by Serge Ouimette and developed in partnership with Frank Kernick, the developer behind Spring Creek Mountain Village, envisions a hotel and Nordic-style spa complex near the Rundleview area. Project documents describe the proposal as a destination resort featuring hot and cold pools, saunas, steam baths, and therapeutic programming designed to offer a nature-based wellness experience.

The site sits on about 18 acres of provincially owned land within Canmore’s municipal boundaries. The province has issued a lease allowing for tourism development and granting the proponent the right to use the land for an accommodation facility for up to 60 years. The lease, issued under the Public Lands Act, does not override municipal planning authority and is conditional on obtaining local approvals.

For the project to proceed, the Town of Canmore would need to approve amendments to both the town’s Municipal Development Plan (MDP) and its land-use bylaw. The site is currently designated as community open space and recreation under the MDP, which does not permit commercial uses such as hotels or spas. 

Council would need to change the land’s designation and create a special zoning category that allows rules, such as what can be built and how, to be tailored specifically to this development.

No application has yet been submitted to the Town of Canmore.

“We are following the legislation process required by the Municipal Government Act,” said Kernick. “Our goal is hopefully to be able to submit an application within the next three to six months.”

Municipal officials say any application would be subject to a multi-stage review process, including notification of nearby property owners, opportunities for revisions and a public hearing before council makes a final decision.

Under the terms of the lease, the developer must secure a development permit from the Town of Canmore within three years of its issuance in April 2024 or risk having it cancelled by the province.

Project documents indicate the proposal is currently in a community engagement phase, with technical studies and stakeholder consultation underway ahead of a formal application.

Resistance to the project has grown alongside early planning efforts. Protecting Our Futures, a community group formed after the project's original announcement in 2024, has organized public meetings, outreach efforts, and a petition opposing the development.

“We are not objecting to developers wanting to build a hotel or wanting to build a spa,” said Bruce Libin, a member of Protecting Our Futures. “We are objecting to developers wanting to build a hotel and spa in this green space.”

Under the MDP, proposed amendments are evaluated based on their overall benefit to the community, including economic, social and environmental impacts. Libin said residents have not identified a clear benefit that would justify amending the plan.

“We have not identified any clear benefit that would result to the community from this particular development,” he said.

Opposition has grown in recent months, with Protect Our Futures reporting more than 1,300 signatures on a petition opposing the development.

At the organization’s most recent public meeting on March 5, residents raised concerns about the loss of green space, the site’s role as a wildlife movement corridor and the potential for increased human-wildlife conflict. 

Geotechnical risks linked to historic coal mining were also cited, with speakers warning the site is heavily undermined and that sinkholes can occur decades after mining and are difficult to predict.

“Some areas in Canmore are very heavily undermined, and this is one of them,” said Carl Pryce, a retired geophysicist.

The project’s development team said those issues are being addressed through ongoing studies.

“We’re in the process of completing over a dozen reports to support our application,” said Kernick.

Members of Protecting Our Futures encourage residents to participate and provide feedback throughout the approval process if and when an application is submitted, including attending council hearings and providing input 

Until an application is filed, the project exists in a preliminary stage, shaped by technical studies, community engagement, and growing public debate.