With much talk of millions or billions of dollars being tossed around in relation to recuperating from June flooding in Alberta, the announcement of $8.46 million for Bow River Lodge in Canmore is welcome news.
The announcement showed that not everything has ground to a halt in Alberta, post-flood, and that there is still focus beyond the flood disaster and it’s relief.
Of course, Alberta’s 2013 flood is now being dubbed the costliest disaster in Canadian history (cost-wise, thankfully, not in lives lost), but life does go on, as will mountains of paperwork, rebuilding and rehabilitation.
For area seniors, having the Province pour some millions into the lodge should be a real benefit. Canmore has changed mightily over the years, but the fact remains that “affordable” is not a word people use to describe the housing situation. Seniors who can no longer stay in their homes due to health concerns or mobility issues need an alternative to high-end housing to stay in the community.
Having lived most, if not all, of their lives in the mountain town, many seniors naturally dread the thought of leaving friends, family and the town they know and love behind. Hopefully, a Bow River Lodge with an additional 15 units will mean more seniors will be able to continue living in the valley under affordable circumstances.
To be a community, after all, means embracing all ages, interests, all walks of life and all income levels.
Just like one hopes seniors will be able to continue living in our valley communities, we also need families to stay, keep kids in our schools and find work. For this situation, solutions must be found to the question of what to do about a lack of affordable housing.
Unlike industry towns of a similar size to our Bow Valley communities, Banff and Canmore are big on beauty, recreation and tourism, but they are short on mid to upper mid level career opportunities and the salaries that go with them.
Nobody wants to see an influx of mining, agriculture, forestry or industrial concerns in this area, of course, but there is no denying that jobs with those accompanying salaries would be a boon to the community.
But we digress… kudos to the Province for putting up the funds for the Bow River Lodge expansion.
Keep things tidy
The story of a buck mule deer with a rack full of cord in Banff (page 1) is yet another reminder that we all live with wildlife in this valley and that we need to take care in the sharing of it.
With winter in the offing, valley citizens need to keep in mind that Christmas lights and blockheater cords left haphazardly unattended or improperly installed actually pose a threat to wildlife, particularly ungulates with headgear. What would be sadder than a widlife death by Christmas lights?
Also, as we head into the fall season, homeowners that haven’t removed fruit from shrubs and trees in their yards should do so. With bears about to get into a feasting mode prior to denning for winter, ripe, over-ripe or rotting fruit could prove to be just too great a temptation.
