Banff

Those wishing to skate on the Bear Street ice surface once it opens Friday (Jan. 8), or the one next to the high school on Banff Avenue, need to register in advance online.

“It’s been a tremendous privilege for all of us at Parks Canada to work on this on behalf of all Canadians, to bring North America’s largest land mammal back to Canada’s first national park.”

“I don’t want to jump the gun. The numbers from the holidays have some uncertainty in them because of the low number of tests, and there’s a real risk of an increase due to the holidays."

“We didn’t want to say no to anyone, so we didn’t make a deadline for ordering,” said Banff resident Amber Donald. “I was receiving phone calls, texts, emails and even Facebook messages up until, and on the day we were distributing as well.

A selection of photos published by the Rocky Mountain Outlook in 2020.

It was a year full of big news headlines for the town of Banff, the national park and the community of Lake Louise

“I felt like the giveaway was a great hit considering the year we were in and with so many people going through hard times. A few small businesses in town have already reached out to me wanting to be a part of it for next year."

Those interested in learning more about the Indigenous history of Banff can sign up for a 45-minute guided hayride this weekend (Jan. 2-3) being offered by the Blackfoot Nation in conjunction with Many Guns Ranch and the Blackfoot Warrior Party Horsemanship and Film Society

“I am concerned, to be blunt, about what we might see coming out of Christmas,” said Premier Jason Kenney during a COVID-19 briefing on Tuesday (Dec. 29).

“With it being an extremely reliant tourist economy, that has put Banff in a unique situation compared to most other jurisdictions where tourists aren’t coming in,” said Sandy White, a former Banff resident and cofounder of Rapid Test and Trace Canada.