Big Stories Blog

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 and follow our blog to stay informed about the major work to increase the quality of life in Canmore in alignment with your Council's priorities.

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Council Adopts the Connect Downtown Plan

Date posted:
After a multi-year engagement process, we have a plan for vibrant town centre that will last generations.
After a multi-year engagement process, we have a plan for vibrant town centre that will last generations.

We officially have a new plan to guide the evolution of our downtown as a community-centric space. Following a multi-year engagement process that heard from thousands of voices from our community, council adopted the Town Centre Area Redevelopment Plan Bylaw 2025-05 (Connect Downtown). We are so grateful for everyone who was a part of this process.

This visionary 25-year plan charts a pathway to a vibrant downtown. While it guides growth and change, it does so in a way that ensures that we continue to recognize the heart of our downtown by aligning with our community values, reflecting and respecting our culture and environment, and honouring our storied past.

At its heart, this plan is about people—creating a place where residents and visitors alike want to live, work, play, and connect. By reflecting what we heard is important to the community and anticipating the future needs of our residents, the ARP envisions a downtown that is built to thrive for generations to come

The plan includes:

  • A vibrant, walkable downtown with a continued seasonal pedestrian area.
  • More diverse housing options with a focus on non-market, affordable housing.
  • An intercept parking facility to help manage parking demand.
  • Expanded parks and public spaces, including a new regional park.
  • Environmental protection and wildfire risk reduction.
  • Safe, efficient transportation for all users.
  • Celebration of our arts, culture, and heritage.

But change won’t happen overnight. The ARP guides future development downtown over the next 25 years and is dependent on securing funding for larger capital projects.

Learn more about the proposed timeline in the full plan (the final approved plan will be posted soon, but the past draft plan remains available).

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Connect Downtown

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