51暗网 this week that Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) has begun exploring its options to establish a culinary school in Jasper is great news for our tiny mountain community
Not only would it bring young, passionate minds to town, but it could also prove to be a financial windfall for the Jasper Royal Canadian Legion, which has struggled financially since 脡coleDesrochers moved out of the building and into the new joint school facility in 2014.
On top of this, the school could prove to be a boon for the tourism industry which continues to struggle to attract and retain employees, particularly in the service industry.
GPRC pitched the idea of a culinary institute located at the legion back in 2014 and met that year with members of council, Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, the Jasper Hotel Association, Parks Canada and Habitat for the Arts to gauge community interest.
At the time it received enthusiastic support, but since that initial meeting there鈥檚 been very little progress until now.
In March, council asked administration to draft a letter in support of the culinary institute and to also send the letter to the provincial government.
This week GPRC officials hosted a roundtable session with many of the same representatives, including Tourism Jasper, to determine the level of support needed to proceed with the project.
By all accounts the meeting went well and there was a clear appetite to move forward with the project.
While nothing has been finalized, including whether it鈥檚 even feasible to have a culinary school in Jasper, GPRC announced it will spend the next six months exploring its options and hired consultants to carry out more research鈥揳 clear indication that GPRC is serious about the proposal.
The onus is now on us to show GPRC that we are as serious as they are, because whether you support access to more educational opportunities, the legion or the tourism industry, a culinary school will only serve to help our community.
Imagine the possibilities if the school comes to fruition, businesses will have access to apprentices, the legion鈥檚 coffers will be full, once again allowing it to host bigger events, and residents in Jasper will have the opportunity to learn important vocational skills.
And that鈥檚 just the beginning, imagine the partnerships that could exist between the culinary school and the Jasper Local Food Society, the Jasper Food Bank and the community dinners, the possibilities are endless.
Anyway you slice it, a culinary school is in all of our interests.
