Opinion

There are few topics that can result in as much anger as paid parking. You drive around with one eye on the road and another scanning for an available spot.

Thirty is the new 40 in Banff. Or at least it will be in about seven weeks for vehicles after Banff council approved a townsite-wide 30km/h speed limit at its Jan. 10 meeting. The decision has been polarizing in the mountain community – as the council

The crisis of ambulance coverage in Alberta has surpassed a tipping point. The existing system isn’t failing, but has failed.

Good riddance to 2021. From COVID-19, wildfires, a boil water advisory, highway collisions, economic impacts on businesses, increased living costs and a plethora of other setbacks, the last 12 months have somehow found a way to be worse than 2020.

Whenever there was a turning point in a 1980s movie, you could expect a music montage. Whether it was rebuilding a classic car, a group of rebellious teens learning to dance, or the karate tournament advancing to the final match, an upbeat song helped the story jump through time without making the viewer watch all the actual hard work.

Affordability is the most pressing matter for residents in the Bow Valley. As the cost of nearly everything drastically increases, people are being priced out of the community. The steady exodus of people leaving for other pastures has become commonplace, with the majority of locals knowing someone who has had to move.

Alberta is a leader of many things in Canada, but the province has taken it to a new level during the pandemic.

More than 22,000 Canadians – the majority of them in the prime of their lives – have succumbed to fatal overdoses since 2016. These numbers are comparable to lives lost in Canada due to COVID-19 infections, yet we are not seeing the same urgency or coordinated action by governments to protect Canadians and prevent loss of life.

'If improving safety for children and increasing the quality of Alberta’s already great system works against the mandate of the ATA, then the minister’s point has been made for her.'

Affordability and protecting the environment are two priorities for both of the towns of Banff and Canmore. As cost-of-living expenses only go north in direction and the climate emergency gets worse by the day, definitive decision-making is needed.