Someone asked me today:  What is the role of the Town of Banff municipal government in enhancing and maintaining a positive visitor experience? 

As I say on my website, and as we said long ago in the town’s mission statement, I believe that the primary focus of the municipal government of Banff should be service to residents.  That doesn’t mean that we should ignore the visitors’ needs – we are in existence because we are a visitor service centre for the Park.  It just means that there are so many agencies and businesses out there whose focus is serving the visitors, while the Town is the only agency which has, as its primary focus, the needs of the residents, and we need to remember that. 

To enhance and maintain a positive visitor experience, we should first provide the safe, clean, and convenient physical environment that is so basic to happy residents and happy tourists.  Plentiful and clean public washrooms, litter and dust-free streets, plentiful benches and green spaces, a town that is low in crime and has good emergency services, well-built and attractive buildings, clear view-lines to the surrounding mountains, good trail connections, safe and convenient transportation routes and public transit – these are very basic ingredients to a positive visitor experience.   

Visitors need and want to experience a beautiful natural environment.  By preserving our environment, replanting trees, managing our wastewater, recycling, respecting wildlife corridors and so on, we are enhancing and maintaining what the visitors are looking for. 

Visitors also need good information.  I helped to make the Tourism Bureau a reality, and I still think that it is a good thing to have a marketing and information body to help the visitors.  Therefore, I believe the Town should continue to support the Tourism Bureau, and should rely on the Tourism Bureau for direct services to visitors.   

What does the positive visitor experience look like?  

At its most basic level, it is safe, clean and convenient, as I mentioned above.  But to be really positive, to stand out from the crowd, I think you need two things:   

First, access to an environment and experiences that are special and different – we have that with our surrounding national park and the many experiences available in it, as well as with our cultural resources here in town.    Second, opportunities for positive contact with people – for example, knowledgeable and pleasant information staff, competent and courteous wait staff and retail staff, friendly and outgoing locals on the trails.  This is where providing excellent services to residents pays off, because it helps keep people in town long-term, so that they become knowledgeable, competent, experienced, and are ready to welcome the world. 

There are two things that happy tourists comment on over and over:  “the scenery and wildlife were so amazing” and “the people were so friendly”.  In my mind, these sum up the positive visitor experience.

The elk over by the rec grounds were bugling like mad this evening, their ardour apparently unaffected by the cold drizzle.   My political enthusiasm was equally undampened, and I was kept cheerful during my door-to-door trek by the warm welcome from many of the Cave Avenue folks.  Thanks for your patience with being interrupted at dinnertime!

Interesting conversations tonight about truck and bus idling, organics recycling, environmentally friendly public transit, about integrating young seasonal workers into the life of our community, about the pedestrian bridge, the management of public debt, and the relationship between the needs of residents and visitors.

A lot of people have asked me when the forum is, so here's a quick list of opportunities to listen to/question the candidates:

Tuesday October 9, 7 pm - 10 pm at the BPL, an all-candidates' forum sponsored by BLLHMA.

Friday October 12, 10:20 - 11:30 am at the BCHS Gym, an all-candidates' forum for the high school students, open to parents.

Friday October 12, 7 pm - 9 pm at the Hoodoo, a meet-and-greet with the candidates

Of course, if you can't make it to any of these events, I'm happy to answer questions by phone, by email, or at the door.  If you're concerned because someone has told you that I'm "for" something, or "against" something else, please ask me about it directly. I'll be delighted to tell you my opinion and listen to your point of view, as well.

A windy afternoon on the campaign trail today!  Many thanks to all the folks who welcomed me at your doors and chatted about the issues.  Special thanks to Phil Carmody's 5-year-old daughter Michelyn, who has become such a seasoned campaigner that she accompanied me around Lougheed Circle to show me how to do it right!

Major discussions today were about the challenges facing the tourism industry, the proposed new rec centre, the debt issue, and how to get younger voters involved.

Speaking of younger voters, kudos to Ms. Moleski and Mr. Shields of BES for really engaging the Grade Sixes in learning about the municipal election.  While door-knocking, I have heard about this project from several Grade Sixes and their parents, and it sounds like everyone is finding it very interesting. 

The fall sunshine was warm, but the air was crisp, on Saturday afternoon in Middle Springs 2.  At least three families had celebrated the first snow by building snowmen.  A birthday party in the Cabin was in full swing.  And the views were spectacular -- Rundle, Cascade, and everything in between, with a fresh dusting of snow.

Lots of interesting discussion:  debt, the pedestrian bridge, herbicides on lawns, how hard it is to get chain stores to support local non-profit events, the Housing Corporation and tree preservation were the big topics of the day. 

On the topic of trees:  As I mention elsewhere in my website, I would like to see a greater emphasis by the Town on the health of our urban forest.  In the last few years, I feel that we have been losing more trees than we are replanting. 

 One Middle Springs couple told me that they had heard that the Town's "tree budget" is fully expended on dead or fallen tree removal, with no money left over for planting new trees.  I haven't seen the budget, so I don't know this for sure, but I hope it's not true. 

 Trees are a lot more than an aesthetic resource for our town, although that part is very important (Can you imagine living in a town without trees?).  They're part of our environmental infrastructure -- filtering pollutants, removing greenhouse gasses, stabilizing slopes, diminishing stormwater impacts, providing habitat for birds, lowering the energy needs of adjacent houses by cooling them in summer and insulating them in winter.  They're part of our tourism infrastructure -- helping to create the beauty of a small, woodsy town in the Canadian Rockies.

We need to be more active in protecting trees and replacing lost trees.  I'd like to see the Town devote resources to doing this.

A voter in Middle Springs had a great suggestion to help make tree replacement more affordable:  a "memorial tree" program, like the very popular "memorial bench" program.  Imagine buying a new tree for the town to celebrate someone's 80th birthday, or a special anniversary, or to remember a dear friend or relative.  With appropriate plaques, we'd all be able to refer to the trees by name.  "Have you seen how Mrs. B's tree is doing down by the library?" , we could say.

Next time you go for a walk here in town, look up at the canopies of the trees you pass.  Notice the dead pines, and the other trees that have been stressed by careless development nearby.  Now look at eye level, and notice the replacement trees, so few and so small.  Let's do a better job on our urban forestry, so that our trees can continue to protect, serve and beautify our town. 

You can read more about urban forests at this link: 

http://www.treecanada.ca/programs/urbanforestry/index.htm