Albertans have a lot of things in common, and one of them is the connection we feel to the mountains. Jasper is on fire, wildlife is in peril and one of the truly beautil places I’ve been in my life may disappear over the coming hours. It’s devastating to all of us.
It’s such a gorgeous, calm, peaceful place and in our world today we need those places more than ever. Like you, I’ve had a blast in the mountains and Jasper is central to most of those wonderful memories.
I remember the first time I saw the Jasper gates. It was late fall 1970, we were moving from the lower mainland in BC to Saskatchewan. It was cold (WHY move so late in the fall? Ask my parents!!) and reached the park gates from the BC side. My Mom and Dad didn’t see anyone in the booth at the gates, so drove right through. About 30 minutes later, the police pulled us over. The officer said we’d have to go back, then saw my brother and me and decided to have mercy on us.
Another time, Jo-Anne and I were on vacation (headed to Vancouver 1986) and we stopped at the Jasper Inn. One of the reasons my wife was looking forward to being in a remote place? No baseball on television. We walk into the room, I turn on the television and it’s WDIV with Tigers baseball! Al Kaline’s voice pierced the air, Jo-Anne rolled her eyes and took a bath!! I howled with laughter.
My favourite memory of Jasper is walking in nature with Jo-Anne. It is a beautiful place and getting fresh air, making plans for the future (this is before children) and sleeping so well you wake up without any idea about the time. Of course, skiing and sight seeing are the best there, but for me it’s the people (I don’t ski, I chalet!) who make those moments memorable.
My heart is broken today for the people of Jasper. I know you feel the same way. God bless the firefighters, police and all who are working so hard to save our little town.
We’ll be live noon to 2pm today, Sports 1440, and we’ll talk about Jasper and how we can all pitch in and help when the fire goes out. We’ll also check the pulse of Oilers Nation with Bagged Milk and talk about Clayton Kershaw’s return to the mound for the Dodgers. I’m at Lowetide on twitter, in the comments section here and on the Sports 1440 text line at 1.833.401.1440 directly.
New for The Athletic: Edmonton Oilers’ Stan Bowman hire continues familiar pattern in GM history
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/5655760/2024/07/25/stan-bowman-edmonton-oilers-gm-history/
Stan Bowman wouldn’t have been my first choice. His poor trade record and merited suspension were enough to disqualify him, IMO.
But for better or worse he’s the man in charge. I don’t think Stan Bowman is a bad man. He’s a man who didn’t invest enough attention into an ugly abuse while he was focusing his team on chasing a Stanley Cup.
His main job with the Oilers is to sign Leon Draisaitl, Evan Bouchard, and then Connor McDavid to extensions, and to do so without consuming too much cap.
I’ll reserve judgment for the time being and measure him on his ability to keep the Oilers a contending team throughout the remainder of the decade.
Agreed. He did fleece Holland but followed up with a not great Jones contract
Mark Lazerus has a very good read on The Athletic about the good and bad. We only have read the bad the last couple days. But there was a lot of good
Yes the things he did well are what have been lacking such as bettering the roster lower down, and his weaknesses like development they have in place
Holland did get depth but it took him all 5 years, way too slow given who they have, and to me the balance wasn’t great still. Jackson over seeing things can stop the ill advised or rushed ideas. And of course will know how what value to put on a contract, and be able to help move a player if necessary if they want more than the team is comfortable with
I agree. I don’t think Stan will be able to sign a player to a Seth Jones contract without Jackson approving it. I don’t see those mistakes happening
Re-posted above after the dreaded ‘awaiting for approval’ reminded me that naming the owner of the team is something not done here. 🥸
Am I the only one here who thinks this hire was months in the making?
I don’t know if it was the Oilers owner who wanted it done – perhaps as a favour to Wirtz in Chicago for Bowman taking the fall or if it really was because of a long standing relationship between Bowman and Jackson but I don’t believe for a minute that this all came together in the last two weeks.
More like at least six months.
Oh I agree. The owner likes collecting famous hockey men. JJ and Bowman have been friends for a long time iirc. This was definitely months in the making. There was never true consideration of other candidates.
This exactly. What makes the whole thing more than a bit unpalatable. The opportunity was there to take the next step as a franchise and we went Old Boys Club. Hey, I still hope we get a Cup in the next year or two. But personally I think the Bowman hire hasn’t increased our odds.
For sure follow the dots he gets hired days ahead of Connor’s wedding with Leon hopefully putting ink shortly after.
My apologies if this is old news but I haven’t seen it posted here.
The AHL’s Bakersfield Condors have hired Adam Krug as an assistant coach and Kelly Guard as a goaltending coach. Krug has spent the last decade coaching the NCAA D-III Men’s team at Adrian College, having previously captained Adrian during two seasons of his own playing career. Krug took the team to unprecedented heights, including their first D-III championship in 2022 and a second-place finish in 2023. Adrian has developed into a powerhouse of D-III hockey and a major supporter of collegiate club hockey as a whole, with their ACHA D-II team winning a championship in 2021 and also finishing second in 2023. Meanwhile, Kelly Guard moves to Bakersfield after spending 12 years as the goalie coach of the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders. He’s overseen some impressive goalie seasons in that span – including Ian Scott’s .932 save percentage in 49 games of the 2018-19 season. He’ll look to carry that momentum into the pro level, while Krug adjusts to a big jump in competition, as Bakersfield makes two interesting, potentially high-impact, hires.
Lt, agreed on the people making Jasper what it is.
So many great memories of Jasper.
About 6 summers ago, delivered UPS packages there. Got to meet many shop owners and their employees. Feel terrible for them and their losses.
First time I watched my nephew play hockey was in the Jasper arena at the Hanson brothers tournament. My daughter still has the puck and glasses with the tape in the center of them she had to have while we were there.
Got credit in a wildlife documentary for transportation when I was a taxi driver for giving the cameraman and director a ride to their filming location.
Just last year, when we were evacuated, the friendliest and warmest response by the people there gave to all of us. So welcoming, so eager to help. I hope if any Jasper evacuees came East instead of heading south or west as recommended, are getting the same treatment here as they all gave last year.
Thoughts and prayers going out to everyone affected.
Dad drove our family of five to Jasper in a 1965 Belvedere 4 door and we set up camp with cooler, and stove and axe.
When it was bed time we had no tent, everybody got back into the car, took their seat and that was your bed for the night.
Nobody complained. 🙂
Long time listener, first time caller. Wish I would have joined in on a happier day but I need to clear my mind after these past two days. Apologies in advance for length.
First and foremost, thank you to LT for this space that I consider to be one of the last bastions of the old internet. The Rhythms of the Al Gore have polarized and astroturfed everything else, reducing communities to radicalized echo chambers. Coming here has always felt like stepping off a chaotic street into a calm cafe.
Being a young man of dubious direction, I’ve long appreciated the wisdom shared by our host and fellow guests. I have learned lots about hockey, music, whiskey, the prairies, love, adulthood, manhood, life. Thank you all.
I have no elder wisdom to share. Instead I’ll bring the opposite to the table (let’s call it youthful exuberance). This is directed at no one in particular and my quotes are general sentiments.
Respectfully, there are times when sage advice such as “keep your powder dry” becomes unacceptable. “Waiting for all the facts to come out” or “trusting those involved in the process” may be the mature positions, but they are positions privileged by inconsequentiality. A leader does not have the option of inaction. I recognize that my favourite line from my favourite book “wait & hope” applies to those on the beach watching the sailing, not to those manning the ship.
Bowman did not commit the crime. Bowman was not the head honcho when it happened. Bowman trusted his boss to take care of it. Bowman did not follow up on the situation when he took over. Bowman did not do anything to prevent the situation from happening again to others. Bowman took no steps towards making amends until things became public knowledge. Bowman completed his corporate reeducation and has been absolved of sin.
Some say Bowman did nothing wrong because he did nothing. I say inaction is a terrible trait for a leader. Bowman was not on the beach observing, he was steering the ship and did nothing to alter course.
I wish I could express my thoughts on Jasper without disrespecting LT’s rules on politics. I’ll continue the earlier analogy and leave it there: throwing the lifeboats off the ship does nothing to help avoid the iceberg in front of us.
Maybe my youthful culture of urgency and emotion has caused me to be overly vitriolic and dramatic in response to these events that I have no control over. But I would say the mature culture of patience and emotional detachment is what allowed these two situations to ferment to the explosive stage they are at now.
I’ll conclude with a (Canadian, of course) song recommendation and choice lyric. Sorry if this is too on-the-nose, but my province is burning and my team hired an abuse enabler. I’m frustrated.
Protest the Hero – Plato’s Tripartite
“When we hand raise the beast,
And the beast runs wild,
We must speak of our own involvement
In the r*pe of a child.”
Handful of summers, my friends and I hit Jasper every other weekend. Those days you could still drive out with no plan and find a camping spot no problem. Only $5 a night. Gas $0.30/L to get there, split four ways. We’d live off coolers packed full of cheap food, hotdogs n shit, walk up to the hotel pools and showers to clean up (thanks Sandman), and save all our shekels for beer and ‘refreshments’ in the evenings. The whole time, the greater outdoors were free. Paradise.
Yeah, Jasper is special
Our Town by Iris DeMent
https://youtu.be/hiSX9PNRyyc?si=8V7QHuFv9_r1gBDm
Jasper is one of my first family vacation memories. In those days, vacations for us were few and far between, with multiple years between each. We had one family trip to Holland when I turned 6 to visit family, which I marginally remember. 6 years later we did a road trip to Vancouver Island which included a stop in Jasper. There is a picture of me staring at some mountains hanging on a railing, my Mom is convinced to this day that’s why I became a geologist (even though I didn’t know what a geologist was at the time). Later, I took a field school there, then was a U of A teachers assistant (grad student) for those same field schools and of course had the occasional ski trip. So many great memories. Ultimately the nature will persevere in some form, but the accessibility of it is a big loss, and the history.
I hope that indeed they have succeeded in saving some sufficient portion of the town to act as the nucleus to rebuild what has been lost. If not, I fear for their ability to start from scratch.
Looks like the Oil have hired a young video/analytics coordinator. Really like the analytic additions since JJ was hired.
https://dailyhive.com/edmonton/oilers-add-analytics-coordinator-coaching-staff
Hinton Calling… Videos are trickling in, as they will in a small community. We have a lot of our firefighters there. As of now, looks like everything west of the Atha-B is gone. Atha-B still there. Still uncertain, but east end of town still ok. We have people at the place I work that live in Jasper that have lost their houses.
So sorry JT. Absolutely devastating.
I have a couple firefighter friends stationed in Hinton. Cannot imagine what the last few days have been like.
Amazing work by the first responders to save as much of the town as they did.
Can I ask how your friends live in Jasper and work outside the Park? I thought Jasper has “right to reside” restrictions like Banff does. Maybe it doesn’t?
Not sure. But they do. I’m certainly not going to ask them right at this moment. Maybe seen as a little tactless.
Had my first honeymoon in Jasper, August 1976. Stayed along the river in a small wooden cabin while the squirrels played on the roof. Good times!
Ha ha. Our honeymoon was in Jasper as well, 1979! Can’t tally how many times gone skiing at Marmot or camping at Whistlers (before the awful renovation) A special place has been ravaged by Mother Nature. Not to get political here but we have now seen Slave Lake, Fort Mac and now the jewel Jasper ravaged by wildfire. These are no longer once in a lifetime events. Are there no better tools to combat wildfires??? Perhaps a fleet of water bombers? Surely there has to be more effective tools than are now being used????
apparently rakes!
About 7 years ago my wife and I were visiting Jasper where we were talking about whether we would want to move there. I mean why not? It’s a beautiful area, and if you are homebodies like us and you like to hike, it would pretty much be a dream to live there.
It’s incredibly sad how at that time the discussion was largely about the location, how we would manage work, commutes to visit family members and other logistical challenges.
Nowadays, I can’t imagine buying a house without first knowing whether it can have AC or already has AC to deal with yearly record breaking temperatures. Whether it would be at risk of being hit by a wildfire. Whether it’s at risk of being flooded in a flash flood. Whether the house is capable of handling increasingly colder temperatures or longer periods of very cold temperatures. Whether the house has a good air filtration system to deal with increasing periods of wildfire smoke. Or even things like whether the roof is facing the right direction to maximize solar energy generation to combat increasing energy bills, or alleviate strain on the grid during peak energy usage.
Buying a house used to feel like finding a place in an area you could enjoy living in, and now it’s starting to feel like it’s about finding a place you can survive in comfortably.
And if you think I sound dramatic now, just wait a few years and see if things have gotten better at all. If it does, I will gladly have it rubbed in my face.
Apparently the underwater volcano off Tonga that erupted two years ago vapourized something like 50 billion gallons of water into the atmosphere. The explosion was so massive it went twice as high as anything they have seen, ejecting ocean water into space
It takes years to come back out, so will heat things up for the next while. It will cool down from that effect, if nothing similar happens again. Apparently contributed to heat waves last summer and this one. We just had two weeks of heat hovering around 40
Preston H. (Daily Hive – has a press pass as well and asked a question at the presser yesterday) with news that he verified with SN – Jeff Marek no longer works for SN – not sure the exact circumstances but this includes no longer on the podcast with Friedman.
Nobody is safe in the Media business anymore unfortunately
It looks like half of Jasper has been devastated. My main concern is how long it will take to rebuild the residential areas.
Jasper, a crown jewel of the Rockies, is beloved for its seclusion and small-town charm. Unlike Banff or Canmore, Jasper’s unique vibe comes from its remote location and distance from other hubs. Canmore, due to its location outside the National Park boundaries, has developed at a fast pace similar to other municipalities, due to not being restricted by national park development law.
I hope that both the federal and provincial governments provide timely support to Jasper’s residents and that insurance companies act quickly. Jasper faces a massive recovery effort, and timely aid is crucial for the community to rebuild and thrive again.
Does anyone know the term and dollar amount of Bowman’s contract?
Strange story with Jeff Marek and Sportsnet. Wonder what happened.
Jasper was the first holiday I remember as a kid. That would have been maybe 1972. We loved it and returned many times over the years. I worked in Jasper during summers when I was in university. I was last there when I drove back from the coast during the pandemic to see my elderly Mom in Edmonton.
I have so many fond memories of good times there and with those no longer with us. My heart goes out to all those impacted directly through the loss of their homes, business and ways of life. I always felt Jasper was there, a place I could return to and enjoy the beauty and community. I think we’re all a little poorer for the loss this morning.
Jasper is very special for me and my partner too…many of our first weekends together took place in Jasper, tenting in the summer, hotels in the fall and winter. This is devastating…just devastating. Sending love and hope.
One hope is that the Bowman hiring raises awareness about sexual abuse and I can certainly testify that yesterday’s discourse gave me a new perspective.
Early in the day, I was surprised by the extreme vitriol I was seeing in many of the reactions on social media. I found myself thinking, “Do these people think Bowman was the actual perpetrator rather than a hapless responder?”
As the day progressed, I began to appreciate that this is an understandable reaction from those traumatized by abuse. Conflating collateral participants with the actual predator is a natural byproduct when an incident dredges up overpowering feelings of past abuse.
I also realized that particularly when a child is abused, we all feel some collective responsibility and guilt for that crime. Society as a whole failed to protect an innocent and we are all complicit in that to some degree as cogs in the larger machine.
This latter point for me helps to explain what often feels like a mob rushing to judgement and this unrelenting obsession with ‘optics.’ We need to make the problem and our guilt go away as quickly as possible. A rush to judgement without first considering all the extenuating circumstances salves our emotional reaction. Nevermind if that judgement makes rational sense, it feels better in the here and now. Logic comes later if at all.
I have read all the information and still I do not like this hire at all. I for one have not made an irrational reactive response, I took the info in, heard the rumours, digested it and still this is where I end up. Very poor decision making by JJ et al. LT put out a list, there were better options.
Right, so anyone who is critical of the hire is. It being logical. Solid points.
Not what I said at all. You can be fully against this hire based on Bowman’s transactional track record alone and that’s completely understandable.
As i clearly said off the top, I was seeking to understand people that reacted in the extreme with vitriol. There is a group that believes no second chance should be given under any circumstances despite Bowman committing no actual crime. That is the behaviour that I would characterize as emotional rather than logical.
I wouldn’t necessarily say that it is emotional in all instances. It may be morality. In my case that is where it lies. I don’t think he should be a GM of any team again. Sorry not emotional in my case. I do believe he has worked and learned, I applaud that. I just don’t think a position of power should be given.
The other side is his track record of drafting and being a GM.
The thing that mitigates the situation is who is in control? If we really care about what happened, it’s not the middle man who needs the heaviest punishment, it’s the people with the final call, they made the ultimate decisions. In this case it was McDonough (who said he would handle it) and Wirtz who is an active owner, and absolutely would have been informed of something like that
As Bowman said his failing was not following up that anything had been done. I think it’s also important to take when this happened into context. It was almost 15 years ago. Part of the reason abuse has come to the forefront in media and in the public is this becoming public
And sadly many other abuse scandals that came out after 2010 like Me Too (became big in 2017), Allison Forsyth suing Alpine Canada in 2019, and Hockey Canada now. The deeper understanding of abuse we have now wasn’t nearly at this level or as wide spread years back for most people
For me if someone is the perpetrator, absolutely they shouldn’t come back to a position of power. Or at all. If not, it depends on the situation and context. I think Bowman has done enough – especially in that he has developed a relationship with Beach, not just a phone call or something small
Nothing can make up for what Bowman didn’t do then, but he’s paid a heavy price in losing his position and being banned, having to do a lot of work over years to be allowed back, world wide shaming over years, that he still has to deal with taking a job in such a hot market. He didn’t get off easy and didn’t commit a crime as General McDavid pointed out, so jail isn’t appropriate
I still probably wouldn’t have made that choice based on the record and fallout that everyone knew would happen, although the article Darryl8843 referred to does show some good work. We’ll see
Hmm., I think Bowman deserves a second chance. But what does/should a second chance look like? I do not think we should throw away Bowman but immediately returning him to a position of power strikes me as odd and inappropriate.
How do you know for certain that your reaction isn’t biased by ‘not on my team’ as opposed to ‘Bowman needs a longer penance period.’ If it is the latter, how long is reasonable in your opinion?
I have no idea. I do not have enough information to say.
My point was that there is also a group of people that think Bowman deserves a second chance but this is not necessarily the right time or opportunity for that second chance.
There is no effective difference between the abuser and the enabler of the abuser.
A court of law would disagree.
Yes. But there is a difference between what is legal and what is right.
Said every vigilante ever.
Well says everyone. The law is not necessarily just, right, or ethical. And there are many good reasons why that will never be the case. This is not controversial.
Regardless, we rely on the law to be our common agreed standard, not the moral compass of individuals that can obviously vary drastically.
The law is a pretty low standard. Arguably, societies are not sustainable if the law is the standard the majority of citizens and their circles hold themselves to, and not something higher.
In Canada, a prime minister inserted a legal provision into a budget bill, and then bullied his AG to order the director of Public Prosecutions to use it to let an prominent Canadian corporation escape a conviction. All legal of course, in full compliance with the law.
The law is a necessary condition, but almost certainly not a sufficient condition.
If you’re keen to hold someone to a higher standard, I would suggest starting with Darnell Nurse.
The issue I am having with this position and those like it is putting this all on Bowman. In his own words he didn’t do enough, but that environment was not an easy one for people working under the owner and McDonough
It doesn’t excuse it, but if we are laying heavy blame and wanting to end careers then we need to be sure it’s at the correct feet. It’s too extreme for anyone else to receive
I’m not keen on the hire unless the Oilers make an explicit commitment to helping stop sexual and emotional abuse in the game. JJ did this implicitly but it was a lost opportunity. to explain their thought process in more detail. But hiring Bowman has raised awareness of this issue, more than anything in recent memory, and if Bowman’s actions are good enough for Kyle Beach and Sheldon Kennedy, then they’re good enough for me. The easy response is to go off on a guy like Bowman who didn’t have the guts to go against his org on how to handle the issue. Doesn’t excuse him at all, but maybe 5% of people in the same situation rock the boat. That may even be optimistic. Who’s done it in the past in the NHL? I don’t know of anyone. But I think Bowman probably makes a different choice next time given the experience and how he has behaved in the past couple of years.
Hockey has a problem which is obvious through multiple on-going incidents in the NHL and junior, and if you think the crap that went on in CHI is the worst of it, it’s not even close. Burning one schlep who didn’t have the guts to face down his organization achieves nothing when the entire hockey culture in Canada is a passive bystander supporting abominations like the CHL. Everyone justifiably villainizes the few abusers who get outed, but gives a very soft ride to the system that creates them. Junior hockey is just a big unsupervised fairground for abusers and abuse. A little more anger directed at the system would be useful.
All that said, I don’t think his record suggests Bowman is a very good GM.
Fully agree on all fronts. Well considered and well stated.
Btw for those arguing for judgement based on moral rather than legal standards, there’s a solid argument to be made that Kyle Beach pays an even stiffer price in that tradeoff.
As the Jenner & Block report indicates, although eyewitness testimony conflicts, one possible scenario is that Aldrich and Beach engaged in a consensual threesome with a woman before the abuse incident itself.
In the absence of conclusive evidence or police charges being filed, the Blackhawks could conceivably have terminated both Aldrich AND Beach for violating their contractual morals clause.
THIS is the issue with moral judgement. Nobody was in that room with them. Nobody knows the actual dynamic. Did it start consensual and then go off the rails? See the Aziz Ansari case as an example here.
Everybody wants to judge Bowman for not doing more to take out the predator. What conclusive evidence did he have to risk his career and reputation? Aldrich is not charged until 3 years later.
I could understand the moral judgement if the Blackhawks conducted an investigation, it provided conclusive evidence on Aldrich, and then Bowman and other mgmt suppressed it. But none of that happened. The owner via HR paid the predator to go away. That was his call not Bowman’s.
Enablers always find justifications for enabling. Let us just move this priest to another parish.
I will weigh in on this carefully and respectfully. Hiring Bowman is definitely not a good PR move for the organization, that’s obvious to a blind man, but they did it anyway and it’s reasonable to ask why. You can characterize the hire as excusing and enabling abuse – but the Oilers have a long history of giving people a second chance – so I don’t think they are enabling or downplaying anything. While far from perfect, the organization (and city in general) has a long history of helping people who make mistakes or suffer abuse. I think of all the black football players of my youth who found work and respect in our hometown which they didn’t get south of the border (Warren Moon says hi). As a team the Oilers also have a history of welcoming and protecting black players and they were way ahead of the the league on the racism issue through their actions (not just talk). In fact they seem to intensionally avoid talking and making a big deal out of these actions. As for Bowman, he seems to be the only one who “did the right thing” after being reprimanded, and as we all know the Oilers have a long history of giving second chances. Most of these worked out. Craig McTavish has been a good citizen after serving time for drunk driving and vehicular homicide, Zack Kassian went from a doped up drunk hanging around with hookers to being clean and sober with a family. Kane by all accounts has been great in the dressing room and the community. Perry has been fine so far. Not every second chance worked out, but most of them did and having an understated organizational culture of forgiveness is nothing to be ashamed of. Just the opposite. Sure they could all be self-serving Luddites who secretly want to protect every pervert in the league, but I think my explanation is a bit more plausible.
Love how you call him a ‘hapless bystander’. Bowman does seem quite hapless as a GM in terms of his actual managerial track record. But he was not a ‘bystander’ in this incident.
As GM, he was in a position of power and authority. Were others in the room too? Yes of course. But he is not without blame in what happened after Beach reported the incident to the team.
Far away but really sad about the news of my favorite Rocky Mountain town from my youth. Like many here I’ve got a lot of great memories of treks down the Yellowhead for a weekend in the park. Hopefully the fire didn’t get everything and a few of the gems were untouched.
Golfing in Jasper and staying at the Lodge is unforgettable. Every shot you’re hitting into a mountain. Every putt you can hear or see wildlife. Walking in the Clubhouse and seeing the picture of Bing Crosby.
As a child Mom and Dad taking us there on vacation whether driving or on the train. Just unforgettable memories. But now just as unbelievable sad what’s happening.
The golf course at JPL is my favourite course that I have played anywhere. Where else could you shoot over elk to get to the green?
Or have a Bear steal your ball haha
In response to a text opining that the Bowman hiring could negatively impact the Drai contract negotations, Stauffer says he wouldn’t be surprised if Drai is signed to an extension fairly soon.
Very interested to see where that contract goes.
That leads me to think that Jackson & Draisaitl’s agent had pretty much all the details worked out or in the ballpark & waiting for the GM announcement was simply good optics.
I am surprised that nobody at the announcement asked Jackson when he and Bowman first talked. I get the distinct impression that it goes back months.
Agree, seems like they were just waiting to get the mini sh!tstorm this would create out of the way.
Would love to hear the conversations at McDavid’s wedding tomorrow as I assume much of the team will be there.
Guests may include Stan Bowman.
I know (per Stauff) that Bowman and Jackson were on a plane out east yesterday. Obviously Jackson is going to the wedding (well, I presume), and perhaps Bowman as well?
Would seem likely.
Wasn’t yet 16, so used to take the train on Saturday mornings to Jasper to go skiing. #9 bus to the CN station downtown then walk from the Jasper station to the ‘closed’ summer campground. Drop my camping gear and walk out to the hwy and thumb a ride to Marmot. Ski all afternoon and then bum a ride back to the campground. Generally not too cold at nights (you can put up with a lot in your teens!). Wake up Sunday morning, ski till mid afternoon and then take the train home.
Once friends got cars, we were off to the races. The colder the better as the lift lines were much shorter.
Took the family there many times. We always enjoyed Jasper over Banff.
Hope most of the town survives – especially the AthaB!
That sounds like a wild way to get out there!
God damn fires, and extreme weather and all that’s related.
I grew up in Edmonton and lived there until I moved to Calgary in my early 20s in 2023. Truth be told, I think I’ve only been to Jasper 3 times in my life (countless times to the Kananskis/Banff area) and I now regret that.
The wife and I had an over-priced JPL cabin booked for last August but weren’t able to go due to house flooding issues and our dog getting sick at the time. I now regret that.
I wish all those effected the best.
I would have guessed your age to be late forties OP.
Factually correct.
I’ve followed a similar path. I spent a decent amount of time in Jasper but still wish it was more. Banff/Kananaskis is inevitably our mountain destination out of convenience, but I wish more of it had been Jasper. I hope future visits are plausible soon.
Jasper… my favorite place on Earth. A love that started in Grade 7 with a late spring hockey tournament in the town. We got our asses kicked, but man, what amazing memories. It was the first and only time I went to the mountains with my Mom, and the fun I had with my team – just the best.
From then on, I feel like a lot of the joy in my life has been centred around “the next Jasper trip”. Skiing for free on my birthday, hiking the Maligne Canyon an ungodly amount of times with my GF/Fiancee/Wife, skating on the frozen Pyramid lake with nothing but a stick, a puck, and the echoes of skate blades carving throughout the valley.
The other thing I love about Jasper – not sure why – is I always try to plan a trip on a Friday or Saturday when I know an Oilers game will be on. Something about settling in at the Athabasca, with a rum and coke, shooting pool, with the game on the projector – just hoping for a big W to cap off what is already guaranteed to be an amazing weekend. Just special.
We watched game 2 of the Oilers Sharks series in 2017, the one where the Oilers won 2-0 and Kassian patrolled the ice like a menace. God, what a night.
Jasper – the best place on earth.
Somehow, I get the feeling the only thing left standing, will be the Atha-B Hotel. Unreal.
Jasper was always speial, moreso to me than Banff. I have such fond memories – coming THIS close to a posting as chief financial officer of the park back in the day, to memorable Toastmasters events at the Goldeye Centre, Crystal Lake… it is such a idyllic and perfect pice of our country. I am beyond tears.
I’d always tell people who were visiting from out of province/country “Don’t go to Banff, go to Jasper”. I hope I can still do that in the future. Just heartbreaking for a beautiful place and the people who call it home.
Jasper was my home for forty years. I only recently moved away not too long ago; it appears to have been a timely move indeed. We sold our house for a pretty penny to a restauranteer to be used for staff accommodation. I’m not sure if it’s caught fire or not?
Jasper was and will always be a wonderful community where my wife and I raised our family, met fabulous people and had many adventures. I believe, in time, it will bounce back to be better than ever. Thanks, LT, for this tribute to my hometown.
What a great place to live and raise a family .
I’ve been chatting with my co-worker who is/was based at the Jasper Park Lodge. He should be making it to Edmonton today but I’m so sad for the loss.
I got to stay for free for a week on a client’s dime in late 2021 in a lodge and immensely enjoyed walking the guest spaces and exploring all the amazing nooks and crannies of the backspaces of the majestic, historic hotel. I got to walk past the elk calmly grazing with their young’uns on my 3 minute morning and evening commutes. I got lost in the woods from the planetarium to the staff accommodation in a dark moonlit night going to watch an Oilers game…
I have photos and videos but looking at them just makes me sadder…
Heartbreaking to see the photos out of Jasper this morning. So many amazing memories of skiiing and hiking there. I know Albertans will step up to help those affected get back on their feet. We always do.
I am a big time animal lover so my thoughts turn to their tragedy as well. They deserve much better than this.
We are learning some hard lessons as a species about the best way to steward our planet in changing times and my hope is we will all be better for it in the long run.
I don’t think we’re learning any lessons. Nobody wants to lower their standard of living even one iota, and changing the path we’re on would require collective action that seems totally out of reach.
At least for today, I think it’s best to avoid the larger macro issue as that unfortunately has become so politicized and polarized in this province.
What I believe is achievable is rethinking our resource allocation on prevention and response. If something is considered a jewel, than you allocate resources accordingly to protect it. Imo our leaders need to spend our tax dollars more wisely.
Even worse, we are devoid of real leaders.
Well there’s that…
There is some good people with their hearts in the right place toiling at the municipal level, but provincially and federally, I’ve come to view them all as pigs feeding at the public trough.
Modern politics has become a haven for grifters, silver spoon elites, and empire builders.
The science/political side of things is a lot more complex than many people realize or seem to care to understand, so it’s hot takes from headlines, fear and anger. Absolutely best avoided here
As to your second point, I was saying that this morning to people I work with. The unholy amount of money governments waste, especially the last years, could have fixed all of Canada’s needs. And after years of wildfires, the last thing they could bring themselves to do is real fire mitigation around populated places
If they actually do care about the environment, a wildfire puts an enormous amount carbon out, and if structures are lost, I can’t even imagine. They can’t stop the fires, but they can sure do a LOT more to get to them earlier and protect towns and cities. Totally doable
Proving my point in the first sentence, unfortunately. Agreed on the suggested changes to wildfire policy.
Emerging Asia is entering the bend in the energy hockey stick. Africa will follow them in about a decade. Nuclear energy is the ONLY long term solution. The world must transition as quickly as possible.
While we move towards our nuclear future, we need to maximize production of natural gas and oil to minimize the use of coal, and to make all the mining and refining of the materials necessary for electrification affordable. Mining and refining on a scale yet unseen in human history. And probably all that mining and refining has to be on supply chains independent of China and Russia.
When Europe bought up every molecule of natural gas two years ago, and highjacked LNG cargoes to emerging Asia, emerging Asia turned back to coal. It will take a lot of reliable supply from everyone to convince them to not rely on coal until they can go nuclear.
Two European countries have already asked Canada to increase the supply of LNG provided to Europe. More and more countries will.
The global South is not going to choose to remain poor while the wealthy West maintains its extravagance.
The policies of energy starvation will not work in wealthy countries nor poor countries. Only policies of energy abundance, and that means nuclear energy, can eliminate carbon emissions in the long term and provide a sustainable equitable way of life to all the people on the planet.
Solar energy and wind have their niches. Batteries require materials. See above. The only real way forward is nuclearization.
Anybody politician telling you something else is gaslighting you. Physics triumphs over ideology 100% of the time.
To quote Doomberg, “Energy is life”. The ability to use energy for higher order things on Maslow’s hierachy of needs correlates to a higher quality of life.
Well put
Seeing the few photos come out made the destruction and loss feel that much more real. We have never lived there but my partner and I usually find our way multiple times a year. I was closer to tears than I would have expected.
Utmost sympathy for everyone displaced/impacted, and utmost respect for the firefighters risking so much to help.
Reporting in from Hinton – last night we were in the garage, watching the apocalyptic skies. Everyone on our street was outside until it started raining a mix of ash and water – corrosive for those of you that don’t dabble in chemistry. Then our phones start pinging with the pictures from our friends fighting the fire in Jasper. Maligne lodge gone. Petro-can exploded. JPL likely gone. The Legion, gosh so many. We are in shock here.
There was nothing better than taking a week day off in the winter at -15 to take the kids to the heated outdoor pool and hot tub, then cream teas in the restaurant afterwards. We are heartbroken. But like the proverbial phoenix, we will rise from the ashes. I worked in Slave Lake after the fire. Their indomitable spirit was inspiring. All I wish is that this isn’t turned into a political football and that funds are released and insurance policies honoured.
Stay safe everyone and hug your loved ones. We are safe here in Hinton for the moment, but are ready. Last year taught us that.
The very best thing you can do in the long term is instead of going to Cancun, maybe take a ski trip and stay in Jasper after the rebuild. In the short term, please donate should the government set up a matching fund.
Thank you for sharing. Devastating. JPL, holy shit.
Maligne canyon in the winter, mt edith cavell in the summer, uofa geography field trips in the fall, ski club trips to marmot.
So linked to growing up in Edmonton.
Jasper is everything that Banff isnt.
First the Bowman hire, and now Jasper. What a kick the the gut over the last 24 hours…
Moniker suggests kick was lower!
I first went through Jasper on the train to the coast, but I was so little I don’t remember it. The first time I remember, I was about 8 maybe. Mom & Dad decided to take us camping in Jasper at the Whistler campground. It was cold and raining half the time, but we loved it and kept coming back.
Hoping for a miracle today
This is our little mountain town. This is also the home of the residents who are facing more peril that I want to imagine. But you’re right, Jasper does feel like a place we share. Not many places exist on the collective memory of Northern Albertans, at the very least.
My father’s favourite place on earth. In honouring him when he died, we brought him to Jasper, to the bank of the Athabasca where we allowed some of his ashes to return to the land and the river he loved. The spot, a handful of kilometres south of the townsite, remains a meeting place for our family: me now trekking back from Montreal and my mother and sister making the trip from Vancouver. Or by ourselves, to meet with the memory of our father, when we happen to be in Alberta and have time or some pain that needs attending to.
That place, undoubted is gone now. The site—the trees and picnic table that have become sacred to our family—may return but that place is gone. And now I can’t get the image of ash raining down on the water, joining that of my father’s.
More people in more pain than myself this morning but between meetings at work today, my mind is elsewhere. With my father, with the sound of that place, when I close my eyes. I would like to hug you, whoever you are, this morning. I am sad.