Why don't we just exterminate all bears?

[Johnny Makarov]

Originally Posted by HitterD

Tahiti, it's a magical place.

It's a treat.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by Sliver

You okay with more development around Canmore so other people can be okay living with them, too?

Well no, because I understand that ultimately they will have nowhere left to go. Which means we will have replaced them, not lived with them. There is only so much capacity in the valley, and we are pretty obviously expending past it.

I know you are looking for some sort of gotcha FYGM sort of narrative, but the reality is when my dad passes I won't be able to afford Canmore, and it will be a lost home to me. We'll have to sell and never come back, except day trips. When he moved from Northern Alberta, the town was on it's way to vanishing, and it was cheaper to live in than Banff, so he chose it for economic reasons more than anything. And he moved there for a job, not the the way around. He certainly didn't buy it as a second home to use 50 days a year, drive up prices and taxes on residents, and chase away families. Oh, and try to scare the #### out of any wildlife he might have come upon.

You seem to think everyone should have an opportunity to live there, but don't seem to understand the economic realities limiting that, so really you mean everyone who can afford to live there should be able to. And #### the bears.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Fuzz

Well no, because I understand that ultimately they will have nowhere left to go. Which means we will have replaced them, not lived with them. There is only so much capacity in the valley, and we are pretty obviously expending past it.

I know you are looking for some sort of gotcha FYGM sort of narrative, but the reality is when my dad passes I won't be able to afford Canmore, and it will be a lost home to me. We'll have to sell and never come back, except day trips. When he moved from Northern Alberta, the town was on it's way to vanishing, and it was cheaper to live in than Banff, so he chose it for economic reasons more than anything. And he moved there for a job, not the the way around. He certainly didn't buy it as a second home to use 50 days a year, drive up prices and taxes on residents, and chase away families. Oh, and try to scare the #### out of any wildlife he might have come upon.

I honestly don't care if you can't afford to live there just because your dad did. My dad had a property on 1/3 of an acre within Calgary that was huge and beautiful and simultaneously owned multiple Mercedeses, a Porsche and any number of other cool things. I couldn't dream of the level of wealth he had. He spent 99.9% of it before he died and I started out in a small condo in Braeside with two roommates as my first place with 5% down.

I know Canmore people like to complain that their kids can't afford to live there. Okay. That's everyone everywhere. There was never birthright access to that town for you, so I don't know why you think that's anything anybody should care about.

Animals can go anywhere or nowhere. IDGAF. People in Canmore - like your dad and you on his behalf - do have a FYGM attitude because if you didn't, he/you wouldn't have a place there. He'd move out of the valley and advocate for it from afar. There is no way to be logically consistent and say 'no more people should live in Canmore' while you're one of the people living in Canmore contributing to the population you view as overpopulated. Plus it'll all burn down in our lifetime, anyway, so in some ways, who even cares.

I, on the other hand, prioritize people over squirrels and am perfectly happy to build, build, build. There should be cool roads weaving up the mountains on all sides like in Austria. Gondolas connecting towns. We could make it so rad.

The literal only reason you can't afford to live in Canmore with the sky-high real estate prices is because Canmorites continue to block efforts to build to meet demand. FAFO

We're also not driving up taxes on residents. Do you honestly go to Canmore, look around at the beautiful infrastructure and think, yep, it's the service industry (only industry in town) that is paying enough taxes to support what you see? I mean, lol, go to Sundre or Olds - that's the dump Canmore would be without external money like mine pouring in.

And our taxes hurt residents? Don't believe stupidity. I pay the same taxes as a full-timer (well, until next year when council raises them 300% unless they lose the court battle we fought against them like they lost for the 2025 tax year lol - at a cost of six figures to taxpayers), but use the services and infrastructure 1/3 the time. They're the luckiest - and most ungrateful - dimwits on the planet to not appreciate what part-time residents contribute.

And you can ignore everything I've said, but riddle me this: if the 26% of homes that are now occupied by part-time residents all of a sudden become inventory for full-time residents, what impact would that have on the valley? Do you really want them to have to build more schools, expand the roads, upgrade the sanitation/water services, build another hospital, add another old-folks home, build a hospice, increase waste capacity, build more professional offices for doctors, lawyers, dentists, optometrists, etc. etc. The worst thing that could happen to the town would be to increase the population by 35%+ full-time residents, which is precisely what you are advocating for if you want to turn part-time homes into full-time homes.

Originally Posted by Fuzz

You seem to think everyone should have an opportunity to live there, but don't seem to understand the economic realities limiting that, so really you mean everyone who can afford to live there should be able to. And #### the bears.

I understand the economic realities. It's the people that move there and then bellyache that they can't afford to live there that are stupid. I know I can't afford to live there full time, which is why I live in Calgary. I'd be a dope of the highest order to move to Canmore, buy a million dollar home and expect to be able to afford life while working as a waiter at The Grizzly Paw. What kind of abject fool lives in a place they can't afford to live? Why would you give them any sympathy? I'm grinding it out in Calgary - and have for 28 years - because there are economic advantages to doing so. I would prefer to live in Canmore, but there's no industry there that would have allowed me to own a home, save for my kids' education and fund my retirement. So, I live in Calgary and will do so until I retire.

So, yeah, if you can afford to live there you should be able to. If you can't afford to live there, I guess you can't. How is the controversial or rude to the ears of a Canmorite? It's basic AF.

Should I get a job at the Bearspaw gas station and then get on their Facebook page and bitch and moan about not being able to afford a Bearspaw home? That's the exact logic this group-think-having morons in Canmore employ.

It's like this: live in Canmore and enjoy a multi-million dollar living experience, but sacrifice earning potential and owning a home, or live in Calgary, stare out your window at the Foothills Industrial Park (like I'm doing right now), make more money and then do what you are free to do with that money (in my case, I bought a vacation home in Canmore so I could be sht on by #######s in Canmore because they make dumb life decisions). I get a worse daily life living in Calgary in many ways, but I enjoy my place in Canmore to the extent I can. It's a trade-off I'm making because I'm realistic and have a brain in my head. People in Canmore are the dumbest sacks of assclowns on the planet to not recognize you can't have a job of "hiking guide" while simultaneously owning a home in what is one of the HCOL places in North America. Sorry, guy, guess you're sharing a room with six of your closest buddies on a mouse-infested dump...but you get to post yoga videos with Three Sisters in the background, so that's cool.

Did I tell you this before? My wife's family is from Nice, France. She goes there once every couple of years to check out the old digs. They couldn't dream of affording anything anywhere close to Nice now. She loves going with her aunt because the house her dad and aunt grew up in is still there. Guess what people in Nice are like to her? Just like Canmore people are to me (and will be to you when your dad is gone). #######s. Entitled #######s with no brains.

[cam_wmh]

That hallucinating hyperbole, is unhinged.

[Fuzz]

Oh wow, poked an angry bear on a Friday.

[ResAlien]

Lol the unhinged wall of texts screeds when his wacky takes are disagreed with crack me up. Golly you stupid idiots why don’t you get it? It's so simple!

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Lol the unhinged wall of texts screeds when his wacky takes are disagreed with crack me up. Golly you stupid idiots why don’t you get it? It's so simple!

Imma let you in on a little secret everybody but you knows: words can be used to make a point, offer insight, or to be witty. Being able to write a sentence is a great first step, but the part missing in literally everything you write is saying something anybody would actually want to read.

[ResAlien]

Oof getting cranky now. It's ok I don't take it personally but that's neither fun nor wacky. More bears and dogs and shipping container talk please.

[troutman]

Austria and Alberta are apples and oranges. Austria has 20x the population density. Probably the gap is even much bigger in alpine areas.

The Pass is starting to see some of the same problems as Canmore. No apartments for low income earners.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by troutman

Austria and Alberta are apples and oranges. Austria has 20x the population density. Probably the gap is even much bigger in alpine areas.

So what? Doesn't mean Alberta can't build more in the mountains to meet demand.

Do you think Austria held the line at 'no new builds/towns/communities' in their mountains until they were 19x our population density then let the flood gates open? Or...do you think they maintained a building mindset commensurate with demand?

And whatever they did doesn't even matter to me. If I was a FYGM like a typical Canmore person I wouldn't care because, you know, FYGM. In fact, I'd like to see more people be able to enjoy the mountains because I think wilderness, hiking, biking, etc. is very healthy for people and I believe it makes them happier and more connected with earth (as cheesy as that sounds).

I don't like that only the wealthy can buy in Canmore, but so long as we restrict building in the mountains and let the FYGM mindset of Canmorites win, real estate will continue to go up and more people will be priced out.

Let's build towns all over them there hills. Probably three more would take care of us for the next 50 years, but we need to start 15 years ago.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

I don’t share Sliver’s fear of bears, but I do have an irrational dread of sharks. To the point where I won’t go in above my thighs in water where sharks habitate.

We share a terrestrial nature with bears, and you can typically see or hear them far enough away to react and move away. With sharks, we’re in their natural element, not ours, and you don’t see them until they’re biting your leg off. Also, they’re freaky and primordial.

You’re unlikely to see them when they’re biting your leg off, if that helps.

[Barnet Flame]

Originally Posted by PepsiFree

That brings up a valid point actually. Lots of talk about how, statistically, you’re more likely to die from a mosquito, a car crash, etc.

But people drive every day. Mosquitos, at least here, are pretty prevalent.

If you were hanging out with a Grizzly in the wild, or even just in Grizzly territory, every day, I have to imagine your chance of dying are statistically way higher than either of the others.

You’re more likely to die driving to the trailhead.

[BigThief]

Originally Posted by ResAlien

Lol the unhinged wall of texts screeds when his wacky takes are disagreed with crack me up. Golly you stupid idiots why don’t you get it? It's so simple!

Originally Posted by Sliver

Imma let you in on a little secret everybody but you knows: words can be used to make a point, offer insight, or to be witty. Being able to write a sentence is a great first step, but the part missing in literally everything you write is saying something anybody would actually want to read.

Another quick little secret, ResAlien made his point in less than 30 words. You used over a thousand and AND AND you can't lecture someone on being able to write a sentence when you start multiple paragraphs with the word "and". That's some CaptainLocke stuff.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by BigThief

Another quick little secret, ResAlien made his point in less than 30 words. You used over a thousand and AND AND you can't lecture someone on being able to write a sentence when you start multiple paragraphs with the word "and". That's some CaptainLocke stuff.

lol, I have a degree in English literature. There is nothing grammatically incorrect about starting a sentence with and.

Res didn't have a point...consistent with every post he's ever made. My post consisted of several points, which is why it was longer.

By your logic, your post is a masterpiece because it's shorter than The Great Gatsby. You should submit it for a Giller Prize.

[Wormius]

I want to buy a place in Canmore now just to troll OG residents by my mere existence.

[BigThief]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Res didn't have a point...consistent with every post he's ever made.

Meow, kitty has claws.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I want to buy a place in Canmore now just to troll OG residents by my mere existence.

That is pretty much all you need to do. They are the most entitled group of people I've ever encountered in my life.

If they don't want people in the bow valley they can leave, but of course they don't because they're hypocrites and - honestly - suffer from toxic group think.

The fact that town council and townspeople are all up in my business blows me away. They are literally counting how many nights per year you spend in your place there. Less than 183? 300% increase in taxes, which will cost my family about $4k/year. Also, 60 of those nights have to be consecutive. You have to trap yourself in the town for 60 days straight every year (even full-time residents) or they triple your taxes starting in January 2026. They are monitoring water and electricity usage, and asking residents to rat out part-time residents to a new enforcement officer they have hired.

These cocks track where I lay my head at night. It's insanity. I'm a Canadian, I'm an Albertan, I've lived in Lake Louise and I've lived in Banff, but I'm still not "local" in their pea brains.

And look at Fuzz. He's super reasonable and rational on basically every topic. I consider him one of my 'CP friends' if you know what I mean. But on this topic? I can't get him to articulate his position in a way that is anything other than 'Canmore doesn't want you, outsider'. Nevermind I was born in the Foothills Hospital an hour from my condo. Grew up in Dalhousie, too. Like...there are commutes within Calgary that take longer than it takes to get to my condo from my house, but I'm an outsider interloping on their town.

Can you imagine treating somebody who has a home by you by acting with such disdain and hostility toward you? Like you don't belong or have somehow sullied their ability to enjoy their home by your mere presence? It's so fkn rude.

They need to learn to mind their own business in Canmore. It's so dumb/funny how they think that place should freeze in time the day after they moved there when everything was perfect. Anybody who came after them is contributing to a catastrophic over population issue.

Um, what's going to happen with more people? The Bow River runs through town, so water isn't an issue. Treatment plants can treat waste and dump them back in the water like we do in Calgary, so waste isn't a problem. The animals? Yeah, sorry, wherever people move they displace animals and vegetation.

Womp Womp, Canmore people. Your town is changing. Welcome to the party. Calgary had half a million people here when I was young. Now we have a couple million (I believe Fuzz was a new joiner - interesting). For the people of Canmore, I truly don't care that you're bothered Canmore is changing because you aren't special or unique - the population has grown and your moronic mindset of stopping progress has left us with an overcrowded Bow Valley where you need a shuttle bus to see Lake Louise, and Banff and Canmore are bursting at the seams because you want to #### block people from enjoying what you have.

I was at the dumpster and there was some trash left around it I was picking up. A lady came up to me and said, 'probably someone from Calgary!'

They are MAGA-mindset people and we're illegals. Total a-holes.

[Old Yeller]

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Sliver

So what? Doesn't mean Alberta can't build more in the mountains to meet demand.

Do you think Austria held the line at 'no new builds/towns/communities' in their mountains until they were 19x our population density then let the flood gates open? Or...do you think they maintained a building mindset commensurate with demand?

And whatever they did doesn't even matter to me. If I was a FYGM like a typical Canmore person I wouldn't care because, you know, FYGM. In fact, I'd like to see more people be able to enjoy the mountains because I think wilderness, hiking, biking, etc. is very healthy for people and I believe it makes them happier and more connected with earth (as cheesy as that sounds).

I don't like that only the wealthy can buy in Canmore, but so long as we restrict building in the mountains and let the FYGM mindset of Canmorites win, real estate will continue to go up and more people will be priced out.

Let's build towns all over them there hills. Probably three more would take care of us for the next 50 years, but we need to start 15 years ago.

14 million live in the Alps. 300,00 in the Canadian Rockies.

It is interesting to speculate though. If we could build more mountain towns, where would they go? The Eastern Slopes are pretty much all protected and treaty land from Willmore to Waterton. The only part not protected is around Grassy Mtn and the CNP.

[KelVarnsen]

Sometimes I really hate the internet. Sometimes I really love the internet.

This thread makes feel me both those things.