Welcoming tourists back to Jasper a delicate balance, mayor says

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland is aware of the "perceived conflict" of welcoming tourists back to Jasper, even though some residents are not able to return.

But so much of life in Jasper depends on the visitor economy, he said.

"Without welcoming some visitors, that economy simply doesn't exist. So it's a balance that we appreciate is delicate and people are in different stages of the process," Ireland said on CBC Radio's Edmonton AM on Wednesday.

"They will have different perspectives with respect to that balance, but it's a balance that is essential to help our community recover both economically and socially."

Much of the prime tourism season has already been lost, Ireland said, but a lot of businesses will need a winter season if they are to survive into next year. 

"It would be such a bitter irony if we were to welcome residents back, say, to the very hotel rooms and thereby denying guests who sustained the very jobs of the returning residents," Ireland said.

"So we don't want to re-victimize returning residents by asking them to return, but then denying them any opportunity to engage in their livelihoods, which then might again drive them away from our community."

Although visitors are welcome, people should be aware of what's open and what's not, he said. There are limited services available in the townsite.

On Wednesday night, Evil Dave's will offer dinner service for the first time since a massive wildfire tore through Jasper on July 24. 

"Overall, it's nice to be moving forward. It feels like there's a lot to do," Mike Day, the restaurant's owner and operator for 17 years, told CBC News. 

Day agreed that the town needs visitors to function. Before the fire, they had 2,700 hotel rooms available for visitors, he said. On Wednesday, 27 were available.

"We have 47 sit-down restaurants in a town of 4,500 people, and we did try during COVID to see if just locals could support, but we realized it's just not possible," he said.

Another aspect of having places open back up is getting people back to work, Day said. 

"Without visitors coming in, then we don't have a real opportunity to get people work which means they can't pay rent, and they probably can't stay," he said. 

"We just have to start."

Day and his family lost their home when the fire came through town. He said a Rubicon team had combed through the rubble of his house earlier Wednesday, trying to find any salvageable belongings. Five hours later, he was opening the doors of his restaurant for the first time in weeks. 

He described getting that sense of closure, then hours later opening the restaurant, the "biggest swing in emotions a person can have."

Day said he's hoping for the best, but believes the town is looking at a long — but hopefully not quiet — winter season. He hopes for people coming through, hockey tournaments and Marmot Basin reopening — although he dislikes relying on hope because it isn't a strategy.

"Any way you do the math, it's going to be a challenge," he said.

"We could use some midweek support, we could use some snow, if you know anyone," he added with a laugh.