Latest news with #BowValley
CTV News
a day ago
- Business
- CTV News
Canmore now paying residents to replace fruit trees, not just remove them
The Town of Canmore is once again offering to reimburse residents who remove fruit trees from their property, but says it will now also cover the cost of a replacement tree. The Town of Canmore is once again offering to reimburse residents who remove fruit trees from their property, but says it will now also cover the cost of a replacement tree. Canmore launched its Fruit Tree Removal Incentive Program in 2019 in an effort to reduce bear encounters. 'Accessing fruit trees is the number one reason why bears in the Bow Valley are relocated or killed,' warned the city, said a Thursday news release. 'Because bears are especially food-focused in the late summer and fall, they are more likely to take risks, like coming into towns and backyards in search of something to eat. When bears learn where to find food, they are likely to return with bolder, more aggressive behaviour. As a result, bears may be killed or relocated to protect people and their pets.' On Thursday, the town announced a new incentive for program participants – thanks to the support of the G7. 'Ahead of the June summit, the G7 expressed interest in supporting sustainable options to reduce wildlife conflicts within Canmore, and worked with the Biosphere Institute to identify where the most significant gains could be made.' Ambassadors from the Biosphere Institute found that residents were more likely to remove a fruit tree if they were also compensated for replacing it. As such, the Fruit Tree Removal Incentive program has been expanded to include financial support to cover the cost of replacement trees. Property owners approved to participate in the program will be reimbursed for 100 per cent of the pre-tax cost of removing fruit trees or bushes up to $500 for a residential property – or $1,000 per condo association or commercial property (for removal of five or more trees). They also be reimbursed for 100 per cent of the pre-tax cost to replace the removed trees with a non-fruit-bearing alternative up to $500 for a residential property – or $1,000 per condo association (for the replacement of five or more trees). For more information or to apply for the initiative, you can visit the Town of Canmore's website.
CBC
20-07-2025
- CBC
Caution advised as hungry bears look for buffaloberries in Bow Valley
Bear in mind that berry season has begun, experts say. As buffaloberries ripen throughout the Bow Valley, visitors to popular areas in the mountains are being advised to watch out for bears. Buffaloberries, which are critical to a bear's diet in the Rocky Mountains, grow throughout Banff National Park and Kananaskis — including near trails, campsites and other areas frequented by people. "We've already started to see some ripening berries, and that's an extremely important food source for our local bears," Parks Canada resource management officer Dan Rafla told CBC News. "It's probably one of the most, if not the most, important sources of food for both grizzly bears and black bears in this area." WATCH | Bears are now on the lookout for berries: Buffaloberry season: beware of bears while in the mountains 9 days ago Banff National Park is advising people to keep an eye out for bears because it's buffaloberry season in many areas. The berries are an important food source for bears. He said bears will be "highly focused" on eating the tiny berries, which are high in sugar and nutrition. Now that both bear species' mating seasons have largely ended, their priorities shift to eating as they prepare for hibernation. Even though it's months away, because bears spend around half the year dormant, it helps to get an early start on bulking up for the winter. "Bears are somewhat in a race to put on enough fat and reserves to survive the winter," Rafla said. "They'll get more intense as the season gets on to the point where they're feeding 20 hours a day." Other naturally-occurring options for Bow Valley and Banff National Park bears in the summer include chokecherries and huckleberries, but they don't compare to the abundance of buffaloberries. The Rockies "aren't the most productive landscape for bears" in terms of food availability, Rafla said. But the area looks like it has a good crop of buffaloberries this year, Rafla said. Buffaloberries have been seen a little early this year, likely due to warm temperatures in the valley bottom. That's good news after recent years saw poor berry growth in the Rockies, which can cause problems. "Sometimes we'll see a little bit more conflict and maybe desperation from a bear to seek out those food sources," he said. Be bear aware Seasonal trail restrictions in parts of Banff National Park are designed to minimize human-bear interactions during berry season, particularly in areas grizzly bears are known to frequent. Those restrictions, which include requiring hikers to remain close together in groups of at least four adults, in addition to requiring bear spray and not permitting dogs, apply to Allenby Pass and part of the Lake Minnewanka area. The Lake Minnewanka restrictions are in place July 10 to September 15 every year, while the Allenby Pass restrictions run August 1 to September 30. Nick de Ruyter, program director of the BioSphere Institute's WildSmart program, said bears are likely to be distracted and not paying attention to their surroundings while they feed on buffaloberries. He said it's important visitors avoid doing anything that could surprise or provoke the animals. "We really need to be making lots of noise so we don't surprise them while they're feeding, and even when we do make noise, they might still not be paying attention because they're so focused on eating," he said. "They really, really need that food, and they will be very focused on getting that food, and that's the only thing on their mind." Berries grow easily in places with human disturbance due to better access to sunlight, de Ruyter said, adding it's important to remember this when buffaloberries frequently grow along trails and near parks, campsites, picnic areas and other popular places. "If you see a bear feeding along the trail, don't try and sneak past it. Wait or find another way around, and just give them that space that they need to feed," he said. Carrying bear spray is important, but it should only be used for defence and not to remove a bear harmlessly feeding in a hiker's way, de Ruyter said. He added anyone who sees a bear feeding on the side of the road should not pull over or get out of their car, potentially creating a bear jam. "I know it's hard to do, because people like seeing bears, but we really have to give them the space to feed, and basically thrive and survive," de Ruyter said. Buffaloberries are typically ripe from mid-July to September, according to Parks Canada. To avoid attracting bears in search of berries, the towns of Banff and Canmore offer financial incentive programs for property owners to remove fruit trees.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Canmore-born artist explores mountain life with humour in new artsPlace exhibit
Artist Amery Sandford poses for a photo at the opening reception of her exhibit 'Dare to Ride' at artsPlace in Canmore on Thursday, June 26. (RMO/Leah Pelletier) Canmore-born artist Amery Sandford is back in her old stomping grounds. After leaving the Bow Valley at 17 for art school, the now Montreal-based artist has returned home to explore the spirit of mountain life with humour and fun in her first Canmore exhibit, 'Dare to Ride'. Specializing in illustration and risograph printing, through a series of drawings depicting observations and memories from her hometown, along with a collection of mountain life screen prints, Sandford explores ideas of tourism and the balance of appreciating a special place without exploiting it. 'Because I've been gone for so long, I've seen so many changes [in Canmore] and a big part of visiting here is the landscape but it's also the people, so I feel like I have a lot of really funny drawings of tourists,' said Sandford. 'It's really funny and I hope people can kind of laugh with me. I'm super curious to see how people are gonna react to it.' During a residency at Elevation Gallery last summer, Sandford worked on a drawing-a-day series. Walking around town observing people and places, while revisiting memories of her childhood growing up in the mountain town, the sketches from the project are now on display for the first time in the exhibit. 'I was kind of just going from the things that I have walked by thousands of times in my life, like a picture of the Canmore Hotel with tourists and collecting memories past and present through drawing,' said Sandford. She captures scenes like a proposal at Quarry Lake, hanging out with high school friends on the Canmore hoodoos and tourists snapping selfies at Sunshine Meadows. 'We're all kind of coming [to Canmore] to enjoy and experience this really special thing. I feel like my attention kind of focused on the landscape, but also equally the people, and I thought that was interesting,' she said. Also completing an emerging artist residency at the Banff Centre last winter, Sandford experimented with the idea of recycling her old prints into new paper. 'I love trying to use recycled stuff, old inks that no one's using, and I feel like I'm just trying to create less waste, and I like printing for that reason because … the environmental impact of that is relatively small compared to other things,' said Sandford. Along with her illustrations are a collection of screen prints, murals and Sandford's self-printed artist book PURE ALBERTACANA. Capturing the ski and snowboard life through several of her prints, Sandford's lighthearted style features pops of colour and quirky characters. 'I ended up making some screen prints about ski culture and in Banff, this transient energy of just people coming and like partying really hard and skiing … it felt like this kind of temporary place to push the limit,' said Sandford. 'It's pretty celebratory and fun, but I was just really interested in … the extremeness of mountain life mixed with how we actually enjoy a place without exploiting it.' Having travelled and lived in several places across Canada, Sandford's work is often shaped by the qualities of a place, its local people and landscape. 'I think I'm just really curious as to how we enjoy tourist spaces or any special place intentionally and respectfully because it feels like a conversation that is being had everywhere.' Moving to Newfoundland for a time after school, Sandford noticed a connection between the East Coast community and her hometown back in the Bow Valley. 'In St. John's, they have a lot of similar problems and conversations about tourism and cruise ships and they're trying to shove all these huge cruise ships into the narrows and the infrastructure of the town can barely handle it and the people are frustrated, and it seems like they're looking for solutions on how to make money but also let people who live there live there,' said Sandford. 'I just was really fascinated by how I was just somewhere so far away, but I felt really understood,' she added. While done in a humorous spirit, Sandford's work speaks to current conversations being had in many tourist towns across the country. 'I think it's a really poignant conversation at this moment in time, though, as Canmore is looking at really large-scale projected growth, so this whole conversation around nature and tourism … are really relevant conversations to be having,' said Shanon Fitzgerald, director of programs at artsPlace. 'Amery's work depicts it in a really jovial kind of way.' 'Dare to Ride' is part of the community exhibition program at artsPlace, a program featuring Bow Valley artists, whether professional or emerging. The exhibit runs twice a year. 'The idea behind the community stream is that it's really sort of resonant with the spirit of the Bow Valley,' said Fitzgerald. The exhibit is on display at artsPlace until August 20.
CTV News
25-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Food cupboard program launches as number of Bow Valley residents in need of support ‘astounding'
The community food cupboard located in the Canmore Community Housing office as seen on Friday (June 6). (RMO PHOTO Leah Pelletier) A community food cupboard pilot program has launched in an effort to provide more food support to residents of the Bow Valley. Opened to the public on May 26, the project is a collaboration between the Bow Valley Food Bank, Bow Valley Food Alliance (BVFA), Homelessness Society of the Bow Valley (HSBV), the Town of Canmore and Family and Community Support Services (FCSS). 'There's quite a bit of food insecurity within the Bow Valley, and so the idea is that the community food cupboard is open to anyone in need of additional food resources,' said Jessica Klaric, executive director of HSBV. Located in the Canmore Community Housing (CCH) office, the cupboard is stocked with a variety of non-perishables, from pasta to granola bars, canned goods to juice boxes. 'Usually when the cupboard is open, the doors are propped open. You can come in and you'll see the food cupboard set up,' said Klaric. 'Anyone can come in and access the items. We have a stand of brochures and pamphlets for other information.' The cupboard operates Mondays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., Tuesdays 12-4 p.m., Fridays 1-5 p.m. and most Saturdays 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. While located inside the doors of the CCH office most days, the cupboard is wheeled out to the main hallway on the Saturdays that it's open. After consistently reaching capacity with the demand for food support increasing, the Bow Valley Food Bank, alongside FCSS, recognized another solution was needed to meet the needs of the community. Joining forces with HSBV and BVFA, the like-minded organizations came together to launch the initiative. ' It's been an ongoing need that was identified by the different partners involved in the initiative, and so we came together to come up with the community food cupboard idea and create this partnership,' said Klaric. The food cupboard hours were then designed to offset most of the food bank hours so residents have access to support almost every day of the week, according to Klaric. 'We are only open for folks to pick up two days a week. We have two different time slots, but even still it's hard for folks that have jobs at different times of the day to manage to get here,' said Cathy Hagan, executive director of the Bow Valley Food Bank. Mondays, Tuesdays and Fridays, HSBV offers in-person outreach support alongside the food cupboard, giving residents the opportunity to talk to a team member and get connected with additional resources, according to Klaric. ' You can also just come in, grab your food items and go. There's no need to talk to anyone or identify yourself,' she added. Stocking the cupboard as needed, Hagan said the food bank 'will alter the contents based on what people are taking or not taking.' 'The goal is to create more resources, more options for people based on their various circumstances because you can't anticipate or cover all of them. If this helps fill in some blanks and gaps, we're happy to bend and mold it until it's a good fit.' Partially funded by the Banff Canmore Foundation, the pilot program is set to run until Nov.1 when the four partner organizations will assess the cupboard's impact in the community and their ability to keep it operational moving forward. 'If all goes well with the food cupboard pilot and we see that it's filling a significant need, [the hope is] that the cupboard could continue to live on beyond the pilot program and become, hopefully, a staple within the community,' said Klaric. Food insecurity rising Involved with the Bow Valley Food Bank for more than two years, Hagan said the organization has experienced a 'very high increase' in food-related needs within the community. 'The growth has been astounding,' she said. 'When I started, they were maybe seeing three or four families a week or less than 10 individuals, let's say. We [now] have 36 potential appointments a week and we pretty much book them solid, regularly. That's from three or four families to 36.' Historically serving young people or individuals seeking support, Hagan said the food bank is now seeing entire families access their services. 'We do have some families that are really going through some difficult times. Whether they're folks from Ukraine, we've certainly seen those different demographics. The Jasper fires brought some folks to us – it's hard to pick a story, there's so many,' said Hagan. Hagan said many seeking food support are working service jobs and aren't able to earn a high enough income to keep up with the cost of living in the Bow Valley. 'In order to cover all of their costs, they need some help with the food side of things because I think that's just the most accessible,' she said. Still in the early stages of the program launch, Klaric said the food cupboard has already seen use from residents in the first couple weeks of operation. 'If it takes off, we would like to open it up to the community and I think that's something folks would really be interested in getting involved in and we've already had folks say, 'Can I contribute to the cupboard?' said Hagan. For more information, additional resources and directions to the food cupboard visit:
CTV News
24-06-2025
- CTV News
Bow Glacier Falls rockslide survivor remembers friend who didn't make it—but made sure he did
Khaled El Gamel was standing near Bow Glacier Falls with his friend when the rock wall crumbled. He's recovering in hospital. His friend did not survive.
