Editor: I am writing in response to last week’s letter “Town to strip Elevation Place classes.”
If you ask anyone who is actually familiar with running a small business in Canmore, they will attest that it is a labour of love. However, because this mountain town is such a brilliant place to live, we as small business owners happily do our best to make things work.
Canmore is blessed with numerous fitness facilities – and frankly, we are part of what makes this town unique. Not only in the diversity of expertise that we provide, but also in the community and jobs we create.
When Elevation Place first opened, we were hopeful that a symbiotic relationship would naturally evolve between the public and private sector. After all, when you drop a large multiplex into a town of only 13,000 people, it doesn’t take much to cause radical effects.
But after several years, it became clear that Elevation Place’s working model needed refinement. While it may come as a surprise to some, the tax dollars that fund Elevation Place are meant to be used in a mindful way that supports the entire community – not just the people within its walls.
I would also like to point out that the private fitness sector is not a group of sword-wielding pirates that some would lead you to believe. For over two years, the various businesses did their absolute best to make things work on their own.
But what do you do when every time you cater to a niche, it gets pulled away? How do you deal with the irony that your own tax dollars are being used aggressively against your livelihood? For some of the fitness businesses, approaching the town was a last ditch survival effort.
And to be perfectly clear, none of these businesses were looking to “line their pockets” – they simply wanted to establish an environment where they could be viable.
While it was challenging at first, communication between public and private sector has blossomed. With direction given by town council, as well as skillful guidance from Canmore Business and Tourism, things have come a long way over five months of negotiations. Where there used to be an adversarial situation, there is now appreciation, empathy and co-operation.
For example, the private sector acknowledges that when Elevation Place first opened, there were a lot of unknowns – and so town admin worked fast and hard to make it a success. This was not an easy project to take on and the fact that Elevation Place has been so successful speaks volumes about the team there. On the flip side, town admin now realizes that it pushed too hard and too fast, and lost sight of the greater community.
Moving forward, the private sector and town admin are excited to work together. With guidelines and boundaries in place, there is now trust and great potential to collaborate. For example, in the upcoming spring/ summer schedule – yes, core classes are reduced from 18 to 15. However, at the same time, pilot projects are being explored where the private sector will provide additional classes to Elevation Place members at no charge.
What does this mean? More fitness opportunities, as well as exposure to other instructors and facilities.
Town council needs to be applauded for setting the direction for this collaborative environment. No one wants to see a business go under – and Vsion Climbing Gym is still fresh in the memory of some. While it will no doubt be a learning process, Canmore can demonstrate a new way of doing things: where its multiplex and private fitness sector work together for the greater good of the entire community and everyone benefits. Somewhere through this is a balanced solution.
The private fitness sector highly values Elevation Place. Services such as the climbing wall and swimming pool are invaluable and Elevation Place does a great job of exposing people to introductory-level fitness.
Speaking personally, as a father of two young daughters, I look forward to the hours spent splashing in the pool and on belay (well, maybe not the belay part – but I’m resigned to that). The private fitness sector and Elevation Place, together, allow our community to experience a diversity of fitness choices, and that’s a great thing.
Looking ahead, town council recognizes additional potential future situations where the private and public sector may conflict, not just in the fitness arena. Because of this, there is currently a plan to work towards an overarching competition policy. It just happened that private fitness businesses were at the pointy end of the spear on this issue.
While it has been a challenging time for many of our fitness businesses, we take pride in knowing that we are helping pave the way for a better way of doing things. We sincerely hope that in the future, business owners in other industries find resolution quickly. A colourful business landscape is superior to a monochromatic one.
Canmore is an innovative, resilient town. As we learn from the past, and the public and private sectors work together, we are on the verge of great things.
Jeff Mah,
Yoga Lounge owner and in support of the Canmore fitness businesses
