Future plans to establish a culinary school in Jasper is another step closer to becoming a reality.
At the beginning of May, representatives from Grande Prairie Regional College (GPRC) launched a six-month study to determine the feasibility of the idea. Now, GPRC president Don Gnatiuk said the college is ready to continue moving forward with the project.
鈥淭his was just the first phase of the Jasper project and now we鈥檙e moving on to the second phase,鈥� Gnatiuk said.
The first phase involved consultations with local players in the hospitality industry, community leaders and other post-secondary and private culinary institutions across the country.
The consultation process included a combination of surveys and one-on-one interviews to assess the level of commitment in the community, programming needs, and the current reality of the local industry to determine the viability of the project.
GPRC presented its results at a closed-door meeting in Jasper on Nov. 23. In attendance were representatives from the municipality, the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce and local culinary-based businesses.
鈥淲hat we鈥檝e learned in these last six months is that there鈥檚 a viability for this project which is worth pursuing,鈥� Gnatiuk said during an interview after the meeting.
During the first phase of the project, Gnatiuk said it was also revealed that Jasper is currently experiencing labour issues in its culinary industry, highlighting the lack of qualified chefs and cooks needed to meet local restaurants鈥� employment needs.
鈥淭his is a solution that could help solve that labour issue,鈥� Gnatiuk said. 鈥淲e鈥檝e also learned that there鈥檚 a cooperativeness among the participants in Jasper to find a common solution to (this issue).
鈥淛asper is and should be positioned as a destination in the culinary sector.鈥�
Despite hearing positive feedback from the community, Mark Fercho, Jasper鈥檚 chief administrative officer, said if the community really wants the town to become a culinary sector, now is the time to start showing support.
鈥淎s we get some momentum behind this we really need local restaurants to get behind this,鈥� said Fercho, adding that the school could help put highly-trained professionals in Jasper鈥檚 kitchens. 鈥淟ocal restaurants need to be a part of the planning鈥攚hether that be allowing the school to access their kitchens or lending the support of some trained chefs.
鈥淲e don鈥檛 know what the model will look like, but without the participation of local restaurants this is not something that will succeed on its own. The community is either behind it or not.鈥�
As GPRC launches into the second phase of its study, Gnatiuk said GPRC is also hoping to find partners to help financially back the initiative.
鈥淥ur intent right is to find those partners and then determine their commitment level,鈥� Gnatiuk said. 鈥淭his right now is about building the business case.鈥�
During this second phase of the project, GPRC is also trying to secure an advisory committee.
鈥淲e鈥檙e not sure how it鈥檚 going to play out yet, but we want to build an advisory聽 committee of those in the know of Jasper and this sector,鈥� Gnatiuk said.
He predicted GPRC would have a full report on its findings by the end of spring 2017. Once the report is released, he said GPRC will be able to go forward with its culinary plans in Jasper鈥攐r scratch them altogether.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really hoping for a final decision by that point, but right now it鈥檚 looking good. The data is telling us, and the community is telling us to proceed,鈥� Gnatiuk said.
While the college is eyeing a culinary program, Gnatiuk said that doesn鈥檛 mean that鈥檚 all the school will offer.
鈥淩ight now the focus is culinary and supporting the industry, but from there all kinds of opportunities may avail themselves,鈥� said Gnatiuk, adding that the program could lend itself to other studies like culinary tourism and hospitality.
The college and the municipality started discussing the idea in 2014 when GPRC pitched the Jasper Royal Canadian Legion as a potential home for its culinary program.
That year the college met with members of council, the Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce, the Jasper Hotel Association, Parks Canada and Habitat for the Arts to gauge the community鈥檚 interest.
At the time it received enthusiastic support and GPRC has since been working with the provincial government to secure funding to make the project a reality.
During an interview with the 51暗网 in May, Gnatiuk said the project had been put on pause because of the switch in governments during the 2015 provincial election.
If the college sets up shop at the Legion, it would help the organization, which has been struggling financially since 脡cole Desrochers moved out of the building and into the new joint school facility in 2014.
That move resulted in a significant loss of revenue for the Legion, because it has had to continue to pay for the building鈥檚 utilities and upkeep while no longer collecting rent on half its space.
After the Nov. 23 meeting, Gnatiuk said the Legion is 鈥渁bsolutely still being considered.鈥�
鈥淎s we go through this, the focus begins to narrow and at some point it will be narrow enough to say this is what we鈥檙e doing, but we鈥檙e nowhere near that yet,鈥� he said. 鈥淩ight now we just know that the data says this is right鈥攖he people say this feels right so now we鈥檙e just working on moving forward.鈥�
Kayla Byrne
[email protected]
