Cougar Creek Canyon Re-Opening on Dec. 21!: Our Big Stories - Town of Canmore

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We are making Canmore a better place to call home.

Our mountain town moves fast. We are keeping you in the loop with the Big Stories unfolding in our community with a new storytelling approach to help you connect the dots.

Every year, we will feature six major themes that reflect our key projects, so you can understand the ‘why’ behind the work you see around town. Each theme has a unique icon that you can watch for as we roll-out initiatives that relate to each one.

Explore our 2024/5 stories below and follow our Big Stories blog at the bottom of this page to stay informed about the major work to increase the quality of life in Canmore in alignment with your Council's priorities.

We are making our community safer for people and wildlife.

Living and playing in the Bow Valley means we need to take extra care to live alongside wildlife. We are doing our part as a municipality by taking leadership to help people and wildlife thrive.

Some of our major work in 2024 and 2025 includes:

Rolling out our new Human Wildlife Coexistence Action Plan
Removing fruit trees from Town property.
Increasing fines for off-leash dogs and wildlife attractants.
Reducing financial barriers to people to remove fruit trees.
Educating the community about wildlife safety through the Keep Wildlife Alive ambassador program.
Developing designs for wildlife exclusion fencing for key green spaces.

Filter our blog at the bottom of this page using the"Living with Wildlife" category for updates about this story.

We are planning for a vibrant Town Centre.

We are developing an Area Redevelopment Plan (ARP) for the Town Centre through a planning process called Connect Downtown.

Connect Downtown will provide a long-term plan for downtown, guiding the continued evolution and change of the area to the year 2050.

Some of our major work in 2024 and 2025 includes:

Conducting public engagement on our proposed strategies to shape the future of downtown in summer 2024.
Developing a draft plan for your input in early 2025.
Presenting the final plan for Council approval in spring 2025.

Filter our blog at the bottom of this page using the "Connect Downtown" category for updates about this story.

We are taking action to address the housing crisis.

We are in a housing crisis. There are no easy fixes, however, we are working towards making housing more accessible for Canmore residents.

Some of our major work in 2024 and 2025 includes:

Advancing recommendations from the Livability Task Force.
Limiting the growth of tourist homes.
Incentivizing full-time, long-term occupancy of homes.
Encouraging purpose-built rentals.
Supporting more affordable housing options.

Filter our blog at the bottom of this page using the "Housing Action" category for updates about this story.

We are protecting our community from hazards.

We are monitoring, hazards like flood and fire, mitigating risk, and preparing to respond to emergencies that may impact our community.

Some of our major work in 2024 and 2025 includes:

Completing the Cougar Creek dry dam.
Planning a community fireguard.
Monitoring hazards in our community.
Encouraging people to register for Voyent Alert.

Filter our blog at the bottom of this page using the "We Are Prepared"category for updates about this story.

We are making it easier to get around Canmore over the long-term.

We are focused on moving people safely and efficiently in our community by taking action to apply the bold vision of our Integrated Transportation Plan. We are also making the shift to more sustainable transportation options more accessible.

Some of our major work in 2024 and 2025 includes:

Making pathways more accessible.
Launching Roam Route 12 with service to Quarry Lake.
Extending the separated pathway on Bow Valley Trail.
Continuing upgrades to Railway Avenue.
Providing incentives and initiatives to encourage more sustainable transportation.

Filter our blog at the bottom of this page using the "Moving People"category for updates about this story.

We are making Canmore a home for all.

We want everyone to feel seen and reflected in the programs and services that we offer. By adapting to community needs and trends, we are working hard to make sure that everyone feels like they are at home in Canmore.

Some of our major work in 2024 and 2025 includes:

Moving all of our registered programming to liveandplay.canmore.ca so that you can find all of our programs, no matter the focus and content, in one place
Providing our community with sensory-friendly drop-in opportunities through recreation and community programming
Increasing the income threshold for the Affordable Services Program
Developing a Community Emergency Preparedness Guide

Filter our blog at the bottom of this page using the "Home for All" category for updates about this story.

The Big Stories Blog

Explore our blog below for updates about the major work rolling out in the community related to our yearly Big Stories.

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Just in time for the holidays… we’re excited to share that Alberta Parks is anticipated to reopen public access to Cougar Creek Canyon on December 21, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Heading into Cougar Canyon? It has undergone quite a transformation since you were last there. Here is what to expect:

Follow all posted signage: For your safety, do not enter closed areas, and be aware that the site may be under surveillance.
Potential short-term closures: Limited future closures may occur next year as crews complete the final elements of site construction, like landscaping and signage. If there are closures, they will be posted on the Alberta Parks Advisories webpage.
If you are heading into Cougar Canyon, it will look different than you remember. Here is what to expect:
- From the Cougar Creek parking lot, follow the pathway into Wildland Provincial Park, where it transitions to the joint Lady MacDonald, Montane, and Cougar Canyon Trail.
- The trail continues along the Lady MacDonald Trail to the crest of the Cougar Creek Structure.
- From the crest, follow the access road on the upstream side of the structure.

Learn more: Discover details about the project and how it is making Canmore more resilient to flooding at canmore.ca/cougarcreek.

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