Mayor Richard Ireland raised the possibility of introducing an environmental levy to help generate additional revenue for the municipality.
He made the comment during the Japer Park Chamber of Commerce general meeting Sept. 13, exactly a week after the municipality released a report that recommended the towns of Jasper, Banff and Canmore consider implementing new revenue tools to help the tourism-based communities maintain their aging infrastructure and services.
The report suggested the communities consider several options including, a tourist consumption levy, a real estate transfer levy or create a new revenue sharing arrangement with the province.
While the mayor declined to publically state if he favoured one revenue tool over another, he specifically brought up the possibility of an environmental tax.
鈥淚 think, for example, it would be appropriate to allow our community to have an environmental levy,鈥� said Ireland, after being directly asked what revenue tool he would favour.
鈥淚t would help offset the costs we incur dealing with the waste of all of our visitors.鈥�
Kevin Henderson, assistant general manager for Mountain Park Lodges, wasn鈥檛 satisfied with the mayor鈥檚 answer.
Several times Henderson asked the mayor if he was more in favour of a broad-based tax or an industry-driven tax, such as a hotel levy.
The mayor declined to answer the question, stating it wasn鈥檛 the right time to give his personal opinion on the matter, but would do so before council when the time came.
Several other issues were also brought up during the meeting, including a story published in the 51暗网 that was critical of employers in town.
鈥淪ometimes tourist industries get a bad rap, but I know having worked in a number of them in the past, that the Jasper area is one of the best places to work and there are a lot of great employers with a lot of integrity,鈥� said Rusty Noble, who was sworn in as the chamber鈥檚 new president during the meeting.
Pattie Pavlov, the manager of the chamber, also updated the business group about the Trans Mountain Pipeline expansion project that was conditionally approved in May.
In July a government appointed panel hosted a round-table discussion in Jasper about the pipeline, but only four people showed up because it was poorly advertised.
According to Pavlov, the chamber was only notified of the meeting about 36 hours before it was scheduled to take place.
As a result, Pavlov said she has been in contact with MP Jim Eglinski and the ministry of the environment to find why there was no advance notice.
Prior to wrapping up the meeting, Mayor Ireland also had the duty of swearing in several new members of the board including, Rusty Noble, the chamber's new president, Heather Johnson, the chamber鈥檚 vice-president, Soula Jackson, the chamber's vice-president, as well as Dave Boomer and Richard Cooper. Tammy Vathje, the chamber's treasurer, Rick Legace, Dave Campbell and Matt Figueira鈥搕he other four members of the board鈥搘ere not in attendance and therefore could not be sworn in.
Paul Clarke
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