Banff ALL-CANDIDATES FORUM on the environment: event details, forum format, and questions for candidates

The Biosphere Institute of the Bow Valley will convene the Banff All-Candidates Forum on the Environment prior to municipal elections. This forum is an opportunity for residents to hear directly from candidates on how they plan to address the environmental challenges and opportunities facing Banff.

Executive Director Gareth Thomson will facilitate the forums, with questions developed in collaboration with Bow Valley environmental organizations.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, 1 October, 7-9 p.m.
Location: Catherine Robb Whyte Building, Pioneer Room (upstairs from the Banff Public Library)
Cost: Free and open to the public. Although this event is free, your donation at the event to help cover the cost of the venue and A/V will be gratefully received.

The forum will also be broadcast live and recorded so that community members can follow along virtually in real time or watch afterward. We will share the broadcast link on this page once it becomes available.

Forum Format

• Opening Statements: Each candidate will begin with a prepared two-minute statement addressing the environmental theme of the forum.

• Quick Responses: All candidates will then participate in a round of rapid “yes or no” questions designed to highlight clear positions on key issues.

• Main Questions: Candidates received a list of environmentally themed questions in advance. Each candidate will randomly draw one of these questions from the hat to respond to.

• Audience Questions: Members of the audience will be invited to pose their own questions directly to the candidates.

• Closing: The forum will conclude with a final, targeted question for the mayoral candidates.

Questions for Candidates

Wildlife

1. How would you improve the integrity of wildlife corridors and reduce human–wildlife conflict in and around Banff, particularly given its national park setting?

2. How will you ensure that Banff addresses affordability concerns without compromising environmental and conservation goals?

3. The Bow Valley is known for its work on wildlife coexistence, but population growth and increased visitation threatens this balance.  What steps will you take to ensure residents and visitors continue to safely coexist with wildlife?

4. Residents value wildlife, but their actions sometimes don’t reflect those values. How will you encourage Banff residents and visitors to align their actions with their values when it comes to wildlife protection?

5. Persistent issues like litter and dog waste create hazards for both wildlife and people, and reduce the quality of visitor experience.  How would you strengthen enforcement or introduce new measures to address these issues?

6.  Would you take specific steps to ensure stronger enforcement of on-leash rules in Banff?  Please explain the rationale for your answer.
   
   

   Climate Action

7. Which elements of Banff’s Renewable Energy Transition Roadmap will you prioritize in the next four years, and what greenhouse gas emissions targets will you commit to?

8.  Wildfire is a major risk in the Bow Valley. What steps will you take to protect Banff’s residents, visitors, and infrastructure?  What would you do to accelerate FireSmart practices around homes and businesses?

9. How would you use municipal influence to support Alberta’s transition to low-carbon energy and stronger climate-friendly building codes?

10. Buildings are responsible for a large portion of Banff’s greenhouse gas emissions. What will you do to encourage new buildings to meet high-efficiency standards, and what incentives would you offer for retrofits?

11. We can only manage what we measure. The Town of Banff currently measures its greenhouse gas emissions and has a plan to reduce those emissions. Would you support extending this requirement to businesses: to measure and report their energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, and help them reduce those emissions?  How would you go about this?

12. After a wildfire or other major disaster, would you support a “build back better” approach rather than “like-for-like” reconstruction?

13. The Town currently offers some incentive programs to support environmental initiatives. What other programs and incentives would you support to help residents switch to lower-carbon technologies and reduce their energy bills?
    
    Sustainable Food Production

14. Food costs are rising in the Bow Valley. What would you do to support local food production (community gardens, greenhouses, farmers’ markets, etc.) and consumers' access to affordable, healthy food?

15. What would you do to ensure Banff becomes a leader in offering environmentally responsible food options in its restaurants?
    
    

    Overarching Environment / Sustainability

16. Recent issues suggest that the Town of Banff and Banff National Park sometimes "don’t play well together in the sandbox." Why do you think this is the case - and what would you do to improve this situation?

17. How will you ensure the Town of Banff achieves the goals and targets of the Environmental Master Plan, particularly the Ecosystem section?  How would you accelerate progress on these goals?

18. In Banff, major plans often go to Council and public input before environmental reviews are complete. Do you think this process is appropriate?  If yes, why? If not, how would you change this process?

19.  What changes would you make to Banff’s bylaws, policies, and practices to strengthen the Town’s role in ecosystem protection and restoration?

20. Which improvements to Banff’s transit, cycling, and walking infrastructure would you make to reduce traffic congestion and greenhouse gas emissions?

21. What steps would you take to create a comprehensive regional transportation plan that connects Calgary and Banff that reduces congestion, addresses the climate emergency, and respects ecological/social limits?

22. How will you ensure underrepresented and equity-deserving residents (Indigenous, newcomers, immigrant, low-income populations, etc) have a voice in environmental decision-making and municipal planning?

23.  What steps would you take to move away from a growth-driven economic model toward a sustainable, steady-state economy that balances community needs with ecosystem integrity?

24. Would you support changing our National Parks Act to allow the Town to have a larger physical footprint?  Please explain your answer.

25. Banff’s physical and commercial development footprint are legally capped - but visitation pressures continue to rise. What steps would you take to manage these pressures without exceeding environmental limits, creating substandard housing, or shifting the burden onto Canmore?

26. Would you support requesting a Regional Environmental Assessment for the Bow Valley, given ongoing development and tourism proposals?

27. There is a proposal for a new passenger train that would connect Calgary, Canmore, and Banff.  Would you support the creation of this train? Why or why not?

28. Sometimes there is a gap between the good environmental work the municipality undertakes, and what the community knows about that work. What would you do to close that gap?