Editor:
Re: Will enough ever be enough?
It was refreshing to read your editorial in last week’s paper. You’re right. The residents of Banff have had more than enough of special events in our town, especially for-profit races.
I have been attending for-profit race debriefings and submitting written questions to the race organizers for the last few months.
It is interesting to participate in the sessions, where the various organizers sit with polite smiles on their faces, not answering any questions and promising “to get back to you.”
Perhaps if I pose my questions in a more public forum, like your newspaper, then I will finally get some answers to my questions.
So.
Re: Bikefest, Banff Marathon, GranFondo, Subaru Triathlon, Melissa’s Road Race, Ekiden.
Park Passes:
Race participants are responsible for purchasing their parks passes. How is this enforced?
We are told that all race participants bring their families, so does Parks Canada find that they are selling thousands more family passes on race days than on non race days?
Why are there so many vehicles parked in residential neighbourhoods on race days that do not have either park passes or residential passes displayed?
Depending on the race, several roads and trails in the park are closed for the day. Are visitors who stop at the gates to buy a Parks pass told that these roads and trails in the park are closed? Do these visitors get a discount on their Parks pass because they are not able to fully access the park due to a for-profit race occurring (as opposed to a public safety/wildlife issue)?
Revenue:
How much do Parks Canada and Banff Lake Louise Tourism pay Bikefest, Banff Marathon, GranFondo, Subaru Triathlon, Melissa’s Road Race and the Ekiden to come to Banff?
How much money does Parks Canada get from the race organizers for the exclusive use of their roads and trails?
People who normally do not come to the park:
This always comes up as a reason why these races are successful. “The report also showed that more than half the participants had never been to Banff before ...”
Apparently, swimming, running and biking in the park with your family and friends is not attractive to these people. If the Legacy Trail, scenic roads and hundreds of kilometres of trails are not enough to draw these people to the park ... then too bad.
Do we have to make our national parks all things to all people?
Capacity:
Banff is stretched to the seams on for-profit race days. When do we say enough is enough?
Local Businesses:
I have friends in the retail sector who tell me that their regular customers don’t even bother coming to Banff when for-profit races are being held. They also tell me that for-profit race participants spend absolutely nothing in their stores. Conversely, they have other visitors regularly tell them how disappointed they are with their visit to Banff during these races.
Economic Benefit:
Were the racers given questionnaires, and if so, how many people filled out the questionnaires? How much of the information that is disseminated about these races is extrapolated?
A recent article in the local paper titled “Event organizers present rosy picture for Banff businesses” is very misleading. Using “economic benefit” models from Tourism Canada without explaining how these models work is inappropriate. It would be better to use a “trip spend” model that more accurately reflects what is spent locally.
I would like to see the “trip spend” numbers for these races including a breakdown of the expenditures into: accommodation (camping and hotels), meals, attractions and shopping.
Municipal taxes are property-based, not income-based. So, while for-profit races may increase revenue for local businesses, they do not contribute additional municipal taxes to Town of Banff coffers.
These for-profit races may benefit select business owners and a few local charities (i.e. the Melissa’s Road Race donates a generous 1.25 per cent of their race revenue to the community) but for average Banffites, the benefits seem few and far between.
If the benefits of for-profit races are indeed tangible and beneficial to the community as a whole, then we should be seeing more benefits for all residents. How are residents compensated for the inconvenience that for-profit races cause them?
Residential Areas:
All these races run on residential streets in Banff subjecting residents to unwanted noise, street closures, parking and traffic problems:
Until the benefits to all residents of hosting for-profit races in our residential neighbourhoods are clearly defined, these races should not be allowed to take place on residential streets in Banff.
I look forward to your responses.
Lori Dowling,
Banff
