It’s seen lawsuits, proposed housing developments, an attempt by the town to buy it, and unauthorized rezoning.
Now, a section of land in Canmore, Alta., is writing a new chapter in its history — a polarizing glamping project.
The continued pace of growth in the mountain community that has added to the housing and affordability crunch has frustrated some residents, as well as what could be coming down the line as tourism explodes in Alberta.
“Development is inevitable, but the pace is really upsetting people,” said Wendy Walker, a longtime Canmore resident and organizer against the glamping project. “It really feels like everything is being shoved down our throats.”
The plan for the site is 74 glamping tents with beds, some furniture and on-site staff.
It’s a short walk from popular Quarry Lake — one of Canmore’s sought-after areas — on Kananaskis Country’s doorstep and the Canmore Nordic Centre.
John Third, a partner and project manager for Trailhaus, said they are working with consultants and engineers to mitigate impacts to wildlife, wildfire risks and traffic.
“We’re here to listen to the residents, and we want to take all their comments, incorporate and work with as many of them as possible to develop an effective ecotourism project in the Bow Valley,” he said.
An open house at the Canmore Nordic Centre on June 24, 2026, about a planned glamping site near Canmore’s Peaks of Grassi neighbourhood. (Greg Colgan/CBC)
Location, location, location
Some residents argue the location makes it less than ideal since it’s in between three residential neighbourhoods.
Walker said she understands the importance of tourism in Canmore, but “it’s the wrong development for these neighbourhoods.”
Leo Wild, a Peaks of Grassi resident, noted many areas of Canmore are specific to tourism or residential use, instead of intermingling the two.
“To slap a glamping site in the middle of a bunch of residential neighbourhoods, it’s bizarre,” he said. “If I told you I was going to go camping on Prince’s Island Park in Calgary, it’s not much of a spot and doesn’t seem appropriate.”
Third said the project and Canmore’s council-approved long-term goals for commercial recreation are “perfectly aligned,” and nearby recreation at Quarry Lake make it an “ideal location.”
Zak Richardson, a partner in the project, said he appreciates the feedback, which will be used to “get this right and be good neighbours.”
He said the site is an opportunity to display the outdoors in the Canadian Rockies as well as camping, and “Canmore is the perfect place to do it.”
An area of trees in the Peaks of Grassi neighbourhood of Canmore, where a glamping site is planned. (Greg Colgan/CBC)
Lands have storied history
The lands operated as mines at multiple times in the 20th Century. The area of Quarry Lake was restored in the 1970s.
A developer tried to buy the land for housing and a golf course in the 1990s, but a community group secured it as a park. It left the remaining area — known as the “staircase lands” because of its unique parcel shape — unused.
When it was owned by Three Sisters Mountain Village in 2022, the Alberta courts ordered the municipality rezone the lands or buy them, because they had been altered without the developer’s knowledge. The area was rezoned, then sold to Prospector Canada.
The glamping project is the latest phase for the lands. The developer sent an application to the municipality earlier this year. Third said they’re addressing the municipality’s comments and resubmitting, aiming to build in 2027.
Wild said some residents feel “we’re not convinced there’s viable ways to address all these issues.”
“Everything points to it being an inappropriate site for a campground,” he said.
A woman fills out a Post-It note to put on a display board at an open house at the Canmore Nordic Centre on June 24, 2026, about a planned glamping site near Canmore’s Peaks of Grassi neighbourhood. (Greg Colgan/CBC)
from:ca.news.yahoo.com
published 2026-06-27 19:00:00
