Don't walk yet: Plans to make Banff Avenue a pedestrian zone have stalled
The plan to turn Banff Avenue into a pedestrian zone again this summer has come to an abrupt pause.
On January 10, Banff Town Council was set to vote on the idea and make it official — something that was expected to be confirmed, the Town previously said.
However, a letter from Parks Canada a day before that meeting derailed the vote and the plan altogether — at least temporarily.
“I am writing today regarding the recent recommendation to Council to annually
implement the Banff Avenue Pedestrian Zone, as it will be before Council for final decision
on January 10, 2024,” wrote Parks Canada superintendent Salman Rasheed in the letter.
“As we have discussed, Parks Canada continues to be supportive of the pedestrian-friendly and public space elements of the pedestrian zone.”
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Rasheed added that the proposed ongoing commercial use — for example, restaurant patios — of public space is contrary to the laws that are in place to make sure Banff is protected.
The Town of Banff is a Parks Canada-regulated area.
The Pedestrian Zone on Banff Avenue started as a pandemic response to give room for people to distance and access shops and restaurants that had occupancy restrictions.
Kenneth Chan/Daily Hive
The zone continued as part of Banff’s economic recovery and as an attempt to provide an improved visitor experience for summertime tourists.
Council decided in December to continue the summer pedestrian zone, but the vote to formalize the decision was delayed due to the letter.
Direction or suggestion?
That letter left Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno seemingly confused, and with questions — some of which revolved around the intention of the letter and its timing.
In response, she addressed many things about the letter, speaking on its last paragraph in particular.
“The superintendent indicates he expected further discussions,” DiManno said referring to the letter.
According to DiManno, at the September 7, 2023, Intergovernmental Liaison Committee (IGL) meeting that includes her, the town manager, and the superintendent, Rasheed expressed his personal opinion on the Banff Avenue Pedestrian Zone but he said he needed time to evaluate Parks Canada’s position through a policy and regulatory lens.
At another meeting on October 19, she said they informed him that the pedestrian zone was going to be discussed on December 18 and if Parks Canada wanted to provide input then, that would be the time.
“In the meantime, Parks Canada consented to commercial development, which included a patio outside of a business’s commercial development allotment, within the town site on September 22,” DiManno said in her response to the letter.
Daily Hive Urbanized has reached out to Parks Canada for comment.
What’s next?
In his letter, Rasheed requested a meeting to discuss the zone before any decisions are made official by Council.
DiManno said that they will meet before the next scheduled meeting on January 17 to discuss the letter and discuss it in more depth.
Stefano Politi Markovina/Shutterstock
“Specifically to ask: is this direction or is this a suggestion?” she said.
“We also need to understand why we received this submission at the 11th hour, after four years of a pedestrian zone, and an engagement with more than 13 hours of consultation and the democratic process leading up to the widely advertised December 18 discussion and decision day.”
DiManno also mentioned that there needs to be clarity regarding the specific laws and sections of legislation that Rasheed mentioned in the letter.
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