Construction in Banff: What You Need to Know About Commercial Builds in a National Park

Whether you’re focused on retail or restaurant construction, Banff builds can be relatively painless with the right local knowledge and an experienced team. Here’s how Ashton Construction Services (ACS) helps clients navigate complex commercial builds in Banff and Lake Louise – and what business owners and developers should know before breaking ground.

Caribou Corner, Exterior Rejuvenation Project
Photographer: Eva Urbanska

Step One: Understand the Permitting Landscape

Before starting any project in a national park, it’s important to get familiar with all the stakeholders. For Banff construction projects, you’ll likely be working with a combination of the Town of Banff, Parks Canada, or both. Each has its own expectations and processes.

Darby Ogle, a senior project manager at ACS, recommends starting with a clear understanding of which agencies need to be involved – and what information they’ll need from you.

“Parks Canada and the Town of Banff are both good about having permitting meetings,” she says. “It’s important to actually talk to the people involved because they might have unique regulations depending on what you’re building. Don’t just assume you can fill out a permit checklist and submit it – instead, fill out the checklist and then sit down with someone before you do anything.”

Town of Banff commercial projects building permits issued in 2024
(source: Town of Banff)

Shoku Izakaya Restaurant
Photographer: Jason Dziver

Being proactive can help you avoid misinterpretations – and the costly delays that can happen because of them. If you’re involved in time-sensitive commercial construction, Banff’s regulations might cause you to miss the tourist season if you haven’t done your due diligence.

“There’s a lot involved in working with the Town of Banff, but then there are also the park aspects you have to manage too,” says Melissa Delgado, an ACS project manager. “Respecting wildlife and heritage regulations, and obviously making sure that the aesthetics of whatever you’re building align with the park. Fire-smart materials are also on the forefront of everyone’s mind lately. We have to make sure it’s all being considered.”

Lake Louise Ski Resort, Charleston Residences

Once the build starts, flexibility helps too. When ACS was helping build employee housing for Lake Louise Ski Resort, it made all the difference. “For the most part, we know what we want to build,” says Jim Walters, the Housing Development Manager at Lake Louise Ski Resort. “The value is in knowing how to build it. When we put the footings in, for example, ACS came up with specific suggestions that accelerated the timeline—which was important because we’d had a delay and we were facing winter.”

Plan With Wildlife and Climate in Mind

Banff is known for its environmental protections, and those can impact construction schedules. Everything from migratory birds to ground squirrels must be factored into your plan.

“There are different seasons when you have to be careful,” says Darby. “You want to make sure you have all your trees down before the migratory bird act comes into play, for example. You can’t fell trees during that time because there might be birds in them – or else you have to watch and monitor the tree and do a whole bunch of background paperwork. If we know we’re getting a project that’s supposed to start in July, though, we can plan to chop the trees down in March just to be prepared.”

The Fudgery Banff
Photographer: Eva Urbanska

Work With Regulators – Not Against Them

We put a lot of effort into building strong working relationships with regulators, and it all starts with good communication.

“They’ve always been really great to work with,” says Darby. “They’re more than happy to find a middle ground on certain items. I think it’s just that they want to be a part of the conversation.”

But inviting stakeholders to join a conversation is one thing – and actually listening to those stakeholders is something else entirely. “If you’re able to understand what they need and actually get it done for them, they are very accommodating,” Darby adds. “They understand what we do and why we do it.”

That mutual understanding makes it easier to collaborate on solutions, even under strictly regulated circumstances.

“I’ve been impressed by all my interactions with Ashton Construction Services through our Lake Louise Staff Ski Resort accommodation construction project. Some of the internal process improvements and systems we’re working on have been modelled on lessons learned from this work. Working with the ACS team has been a great example to aspire to.”

– Lake Louise Ski Resort

Consider Real-World Logistics

Project planning for Banff construction involves a lot more than meeting regulatory requirements. It’s also important to understand the logistics of the area, from congested delivery routes to limited trade access – especially for builds that are located at the core of Banff Townsite. Some of that knowledge can only be gained through experience – and remote areas can present specific challenges, especially when it comes to travel.

“When you’re doing Lake Louise construction, trades are working on an out-of-town basis,” says Darby. “There are no stores, so if you forget something, there’s no option to replace it nearby. It’s also a tourist highway, so while it should only take 45 minutes for your concrete to arrive, it might take two hours. Sometimes the trucks get stuck in traffic and time out. We’ve had to turn them around.”

For ACS, it helps to have multiple builds happening in the same general area. “If something changes or a delivery’s late, we can pivot,” says Darby. “We’ve got another site just down the road, so we can grab a skid steer or call in a crew.”

Downtown Sally
Photographer: Eva Urbanska

Case Study: The Charleston Residence

When a fire destroyed the Charleston Residence in Lake Louise, ACS led the rebuild using a modular approach. Neither ACS or Lake Louise Ski Resort had ever used a modular before, but the project was a success despite some unexpected challenges.

“We had to take something that was built in a factory setting, truck it three hours away and drop it on a foundation that was built by a crew who had never seen the modular,” says Darby. “In a national park.”

To get to the building site, the ACS team had to truck the modulars through wildlife tunnels. “We ended up having to measure the wildlife tunnels to make sure the modular would fit through the
tunnel,” says Darby.

The Lake Louise construction project required careful coordination, environmental compliance, and flexibility. To stay on schedule, the team handled tasks like roof framing and timber installation.

“Our site team and our PM on the project were wicked,” Darby says. “We coordinated with both companies, did the lift plan, and even took on scopes that we’d normally sub out.”

Lake Louise Ski Resort, Staff Accommodation

Rely On Local Expertise

Working in a national park means conditions, trades availability, and logistical elements can change quickly. Having a local team that understands the environment – and the people in it – can make day-to-day project work run smoother and more collaboratively.

“We’ve got teams that know how to work there,” says Darby. “Including people who live in the park. That keeps us up-to-date on what’s happening, and what’s changing.”

That familiarity helps build strong relationships with clients, regulators, and community members. “We tend to run into stakeholders on the street and at the grocery store,” says Melissa. “So fundamentally, there’s just a nice, courteous relationship from the get-go.”

Ready to build in Banff? Get in touch with Ashton Construction Services to learn how local experience can keep your new build, renovation, or tenant improvement project running smoothly.

Blog article written by: Scribe National

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