Banff opens door wider to chain restaurants, retailers in rocky mountain resort town

Free enterprise trumped tradition when the Banff town council voted Monday not to limit the number of chain stores and restaurants allowed in the national park's town site.

The 5-1 decision was a defeat for the quaint tourist town's small-business operators, many of whom fear they can't compete against national franchise outlets.

Banff Mayor Karen Sorenson, who voted with the majority to reject a proposed bylaw, said she was concerned such restrictions could have unforeseen implications.

“We don’t really know what placing a regulation on the number of formula-based businesses allowed in the community would do to the commercial sector,” Sorenson said, according to the Calgary Herald. “The change would be for the long term and we wouldn’t know the impact for many years.”

[ Related: Banff mulls restrictions on chain stores and restaurants ]

The decision doesn't mean the picturesque community will suddenly mushroom with Burger King restaurants or Gap stores. The Herald noted Banff already limits new retailers from coming into town only when existing space becomes available for leasing. The locations must also conform to the town's design rules.

But like the mayor, Banff Coun. Brian Standish is concerned about the long-term effect of this week's vote.

"Banff now is fine, but it's the future that I'm worried about," Standish, the sole vote in favour of the bylaw, told CBC News.

About a quarter of the businesses in Banff are chain outlets, CBC News noted. Proponents of the bylaw worry small-business owners ultimately won't be able to compete as lease rate rise.

"I think the national park loses, first and foremost," gallery-owner Susan Sax-Willcock said.

"I think the visitors lose, the small business owners lose — everybody loses in the long term. In the short term, you end up with a whole bunch of flash-and-dash winners and then they're gone."

But pub owner Tommy Soukas said council made the right decision.

“We’ve seen a lot of franchises come and go,” Soukas told the Herald. “I like the idea of letting the market dictate what this town needs. There’s room for franchises and there’s room for mom and pop operations.”

[ Related: Privately-run glass platform and walkway at Columbia Icefields rile national park supporters ]

The debate over commercial operations with national parks has gone on for decades.

This is the second time in a year that Banff town council has rejected an attempt to restrict retail development.

Plans for a commercially operated interpretive trail and massive glass-floored viewing platform at Columbia Icefield in Jasper National Park have run into opposition from critics who say it will turn the park into a profit-making enterprise.

Parks Canada has been wrestling with ways to boost a steady decline in visits, including making attractions more accessible. The Canadian Press reported last year that the agency gave Toronto marketing firm Veritas a $395,000 contract to improve its promotion.