Ivison: After the inferno, Jasper is on the rebound
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The native of Manchester, England, was drawn to the snowy peaks and turquoise lakes in 2013, and spent much of the next decade struggling to realize her dream of Canadian citizenship. Her plan was to use her British law degree to become accredited in Canada, but she found herself working part-time in a Jasper bistro and at a local law firm.
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By the end of 2023, she'd become a Canadian citizen, and the owners of the bistro where she worked had asked her to use her sommelier skills to open a new concept that paired wines with fresh local game and produce. Bailey was invited to become part-owner, and the idea for Peacock Cork and Fork was born.
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Bailey and her partners purchased an upper-level space on Patricia Street in Jasper's downtown, and on June 12, 2024, the restaurant opened to great fanfare.
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Just 40 nights after opening — on July 22 last year — the Peacock was so badly damaged by the wildfire that nearly swept away the entire town that it had to be condemned. Bailey lost not only her livelihood but also the house she rented farther up Patricia Street.
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My wife and I met Bailey — Rachel — when she served us in one of the bustling restaurants that survived the fire, Harvest, just downstairs from where the Peacock was located.
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Eleven months after the fire that destroyed one-third of Jasper's 1,113 buildings and burned an area nearly the size of the island of Montreal in the surrounding national park, it feels like a town that is just getting by.
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Gazing toward the town from the Maligne Canyon look-out, the landscape looks like Mordor, scorched earth, pockmarked by thousands of blackened tree stumps. No one knows how much wildlife was lost, though it was recorded that elk and grizzly bears wandered the main streets of the town in the days after the fire, looking for an escape route.
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Vancouver Sun
24 minutes ago
- Vancouver Sun
Canadians are torn about whether to put their elbows up or down in U.S. trade war: poll
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Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. The split among Canadians puts Prime Minister Mark Carney in somewhat of an 'awkward position' as he must navigate conflicting views on how to deal with an erratic and unpredictable Trump administration, said Leger executive vice-president Andrew Enns. On the one hand are those who still believe in the 'eye for an eye' approach with the U.S., and on the other hand is the growing number of Canadians who favour a slightly more conciliatory and measured approach. 'I think there's been a bit of a tempering, a bit of a diminishment of the 'elbows up' aggressive approach. It's still very present, and you know, not to be ignored,' Enns said. 'But I certainly would say that there's a stronger sort of view now starting to show up in Canadian opinion that says, 'Well hold on here, maybe we ought to think this through, let's not be hasty.' 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Winnipeg Free Press
24 minutes ago
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