Want to push the buttons of a resident of Canmore?
Just bring up the Three Sisters Mountain Village (TSMV) development.
The TSMV single has fueled intense debate in the mountain town for over thirty years. After a long history of legal battles, controversies, and public debates, the Alberta Court of Appeal recently approved the development. Even now, with the TSVM greenlit to expand to completion, residents just can’t stop arguing whether the development is a good or bad thing.
Once complete, the development has the potential to double the city’s population, ease the town’s housing shortage, and provide some affordable housing options, yet the TSMV development also comes with serious environmental concerns.
The Background of Three Sisters Development
The vision for Three Sisters Mountain Village dates back to 1992 when the Natural Resources Conservation Board (NRCB) approved development plans for land at the base of the Three Sisters Mountains.
Over time, the ownership has shifted, but the development has remained consistently controversial, primarily due to the scale of the proposed construction. The plan includes transforming over 400 acres of wild mountain land into housing and commercial spaces, aiming, as well, to bring 10% of the units below market rate—although at Canmore’s prices, these are still steeply-priced by any measure. However, as Mayor Sean Krausert asserts, the project is one of Canmore’s “last hopes” to combat the housing crisis that has gripped the town in recent years.
The Impact on Wildlife
For Canmore’s ecologically conscious community, the Three Sisters project is a potential threat to the delicate balance between human habitation and wilderness. Canmore sits adjacent to Banff National Park and is part of a critical wildlife corridor used by species like grizzly bears, wolves, cougars, deer, and elk. The project’s construction area overlaps with this vital corridor, prompting concerns from conservation groups and residents who fear the development may devastate local wildlife.
Bow Valley Engage, headed by conservationist Karsten Heuer, argues that expanding the town will have irreversible consequences for threatened species like the grizzly bear. The group has campaigned for updated environmental assessments, claiming that the original NRCB report from 1992 is outdated and doesn’t accurately reflect current ecological needs. Although Alberta Environment recently rejected calls for a new assessment, Bow Valley Engage and the Stoney Nakoda First Nation continue to push for court interventions, emphasizing the need to protect the wildlife and wild spaces that define Canmore’s identity.
The Housing Crisis: Affordability
While environmentalists have resisted the development since day one, many Canmore residents and local officials see Three Sisters Mountain Village as essential to addressing an escalating housing crisis. Canmore has become one of Alberta’s most expensive towns, with the average rent for a one-bedroom unit reaching $2,727 a month and a living wage calculated at $38.80 per hour—the highest in the province. Driven by limited housing and high tourist demand, Canmore’s real estate has inflated to rates unattainable for middle-class workers.
Small businesses in Canmore, particularly in the service sector, have struggled to attract and retain staff, partly because workers cannot afford to live in the area. Businesses like Eclipse Coffee Roasters have resorted to verifying that new hires have secured housing before employment. However, even with increased wages and benefits, employees find themselves financially stretched, balancing high rents and the increasing cost of living.
TSVM Clears Legal Hurdles
The journey toward the Alberta courts’ decision to greenlight TSMV was long and fraught with legal disputes. In October 2023, Alberta’s Land and Property Rights Tribunal ruled in favour of the developer, overruling the town’s council, which had repeatedly attempted to halt or modify the project to address local concerns. This ruling marked a pivotal moment, solidifying the development’s place in Canmore’s future. Since then, the town’s administration has shifted from opposing TSMV outright to focusing on how best to integrate the development to benefit Canmore residents.
While environmental groups still advocate for limiting the expansion, many residents have accepted that Three Sisters is moving forward. According to TSMV’s director of strategy, Chris Ollenberger, the corporation remains committed to addressing public concerns through measures like wildlife fencing and designated trail routes to minimize human-wildlife conflict.
Fear of “Another Whistler”
Completing the Three Sisters development raises questions about Canmore’s future character. With the town’s population expected to double, some residents fear that Canmore will transform into a resort-style community similar to Whistler, BC, where wealthier homeowners dominate the real estate market, and affordability is a persistent issue.
Former Mayor Ron Casey, who has witnessed Canmore’s evolution from a mining town to a tourist-driven community, foresees a reality where only affluent individuals can afford to live in Canmore, potentially pushing out long-time residents and local business owners.
Efforts to manage these challenges have included creating a “vacant-home tax” on tourist properties to reduce the number of second homes used for short-term rentals.
Canmore has also established a Livability Task Force to propose solutions for affordable housing, including incentives for long-term rental properties and municipal housing developments. Canmore Community Housing (CCH), a non-profit housing agency, has aimed to help with below-market rentals and units for sale. However, demand remains high, with waitlists for affordable units climbing by nearly 300% in just one year.
Future Outlook
Although Canmore is moving forward with Three Sisters, the development is not guaranteed to solve the town’s affordability crisis. Only 10% of TSMV’s units are earmarked for below-market rates, meaning the majority of new housing will remain out of reach for most of Canmore’s working residents.
Environmentalists, too, have tempered their expectations, citing concerns about increased human activity in sensitive wildlife areas and the possibility of TSMV negatively impacting the region’s ecological health.
Then, there is the question of how the town of nearly 18,000 residents will look in 20 years when almost 40,000 people reside in a narrow corridor already jammed-packed with tourists. The quaint, quiet mountain town many Albertans remember visiting in the past is just that, a thing of the past. Can Canmore adapt to a new reality?
For development proponents like Mayor Krausert, the Three Sisters project represents a lifeline for Canmore’s future viability. The town’s isolation between Banff and Kananaskis limits expansion opportunities. Without increased housing stock, Krausert warns that Canmore may lose the essential workforce that sustains its tourism and local economy.
Ollenberger emphasizes that the development will unfold over decades, allowing Canmore time to adapt and incorporate strategies for sustainable growth. However, as Bow Valley Food Bank’s increasing client base illustrates, many residents are already at a breaking point, balancing high living costs with modest incomes.
A Community Divided
The Three Sisters development in Canmore symbolizes the broader struggle many mountain towns face: balancing growth, affordability, and environmental stewardship. For some, TSMV represents an inevitable and necessary expansion that could keep Canmore’s economy afloat; for others, it is a profound threat to the wildlife and natural landscapes that make the Bow Valley so unique.
As the TSMV development continues, Canmore’s residents remain divided. The presence of “STOP TSMV” signs on front lawns speaks to lingering resistance, yet the legal battles have largely been settled. The only certainty is that Canmore will look very different by the mid-2040s, shaped by decisions made now about the Three Sisters development. Whether Canmore becomes “another Whistler” or carves out a unique path balancing housing needs and ecological preservation remains to be seen.
