Editor:
Re: Old daycare site options presented
I’m going to preface this whole letter by declaring that I am not originally from Canmore, and with that, apparently face confusion on a daily basis in regard to some opinions that others may have.
For example, I don’t understand what the big fuss about paid parking in downtown Banff was about. The reprieve from having to pay a few bucks was nice, I can admit that.
That being said, if you enter any city, and wind up in any sort of commercial district, chances are you’re going to pay for parking. It’s a thing. This is not a foreign concept. I honestly don’t understand how that became such an issue, and I don’t mean it rudely, I just don’t get it.
One of the other things I simply just don’t understand is how resistant this area is to these things called “apartment buildings,” or anyone moving into the area under the age of 40. I read over the article about how people are against developing the area and that the town’s idea of affordable housing is build literal houses and townhomes.
Newsflash to most people coming into the Bow Valley area, that is nowhere near considered “affordable.”
I understand that locals don’t want a bunch of riffraff coming into their neighborhoods and turning the area into party central. That’s the last thing I’d want as well.
The thing I don’t understand in the slightest is how local business owners expect to survive 10 years down the road. This might jump around a little, so bear with me here.
Local businesses are already struggling to find enough employees to staff their establishments and provide adequate service. Almost every trip advisor review of any sort of restaurant in the area will comment on the slow/poor service. There was an article not too long ago about a very popular restaurant having to drastically reduce their hours because they didn’t have anyone to cover the shifts.
In most other places, these businesses are staffed by local young adults who are attending school – high school or otherwise. This isn’t really the case in the Bow Valley area. Many teens and young adults are running off to surrounding cities to get their higher education, which is fine. Kudos to you, guys, work hard and get into good universities.
With that said ...
This leaves a huge gap in the workforce, which is where people such as myself come in. My province of origin has a relatively high unemployment rate and I decided to get a job out here.
Personally, I love it. Canmore specifically is a wonderful place to live and I’m thrilled to have the opportunity. I’m also a young adult. Take one good look at Kijiji advertisements in the area for those looking to rent a room and I guarantee at least three quarters of them are going to say something along the lines of “preferably a mature couple.”
The ones that don’t are nowhere near comfortably affordable based on the amount I make annually. This makes the move much more difficult. Staff accommodation is crowded, and generally poorly maintained due to overstretched management because management are also having to cover the duties of general employees.
If you cram a large group of exhausted, overworked and frustrated people into a small place, they’re going to need to let loose somehow. That’s how you get that negative, “party city” environment.
Anyway. The “too long, didn’t read” gist of that is that if you want your local businesses to survive (and allow yourself more than a day off bi-weekly because you currently have no staff to help you run your business) give yourself a reality check and look into some quaintly designed apartment buildings that will at least fit the streamlined architecture everyone is determined to maintain that are actually affordably priced.
Get over yourselves. Your neighbourhoods will still be as scenic as ever, and the provincial tenancy boards are very handy when trying to get rid of any unsavory young adults that slip through your undoubtedly strict and thorough application process.
Michaela Lalonde,
Canmore
