Who Can Live in Banff?

I have a job in Banff National Park

If your main job is inside the park, you are an eligible resident in your own right. That covers a job in town, at Lake Louise, at a ski hill or at a lodge. What counts is where the work is done, not where the employer's head office is.

Steps to take

1. 1

   Check that the job is your primary employment

   The regulation says "primary employment is in the park". If you have two jobs, the one that is your main work must be in the park.

2. 2

   Get a letter from your employer

   Ask for a signed letter on company letterhead giving your job title, your start date and that the work is in the park. Realty asks for proof of employment, and a letter ready before you need it saves a week.

3. 3

   Tell any landlord or seller the truth about your status

   A landlord has to be able to say that everyone living in the home is an eligible resident. If you are asked to sign a statutory declaration, it is a sworn statement: read it before you sign.

4. 4

   Keep your proof as long as you live here

   Eligibility is not a one-time check. If your job ends or moves outside the park, read the 'My job is ending' path on this page before you do anything else.

Papers to gather

• Letter from your employer (title, start date, work location in the park)
• Recent pay stub showing the employer's name and address
• Photo ID
• A copy of your lease or the offer you are signing

Who to contact

I run a business in the park

You qualify if you operate a business in the park and you have to be there for it to run day to day. The business has to be licensed, and it has to have a real place of business in the park.

Steps to take

1. 1

   Check the licence

   The regulation counts a business only if it is licensed under the National Parks of Canada Businesses Regulations, or under a by-law of the Town of Banff. An unlicensed business does not give you eligibility.

2. 2

   Check that your presence is needed

   The test is that your presence at the place of business is necessary for the day-to-day operation. A business you own but do not run does not meet it.

3. 3

   Expect Realty to ask for the paperwork

   Business licence, proof of where the business operates, and a description of your role. Ask Realty what they want before a purchase or lease is signed, not after.

Papers to gather

• Business licence (Town of Banff or Parks Canada)
• Proof of the business's address in the park
• A short written description of why you are needed there day to day

Who to contact

I am the partner, spouse or child of someone who qualifies

Spouses, common-law partners and dependants of an eligible resident are eligible too. You qualify through them, so it lasts as long as their eligibility does.

Steps to take

1. 1

   Work out who you qualify through

   It has to be someone who is eligible on their own: through a job or business in the park, as a full-time student in the park, or one of the retirement or historic-lease categories.

2. 2

   Gather proof of the relationship

   Marriage certificate, proof of living together as common-law partners, or a child's birth certificate and proof they depend on the parent.

3. 3

   Know what happens if the relationship changes

   Your eligibility follows theirs. If you separate, or the person you qualify through stops being eligible, ask Realty how that affects you before you assume anything either way.

Papers to gather

• Proof of the relationship (marriage certificate, common-law evidence, birth certificate)
• The eligible person's proof of their own eligibility
• Photo ID

Who to contact

I am a full-time student in Banff

You qualify if you are in full-time attendance at an educational institution that is located inside the park. The institution has to be registered under the Income Tax Act or under provincial education law.

Steps to take

1. 1

   Confirm the school is inside the park

   The test is where the institution is located, not whether you study online with a school elsewhere.

2. 2

   Confirm you are full-time

   Ask the registrar for a letter that states your enrolment is full-time and gives the dates of your program.

3. 3

   Plan for the end date

   Eligibility lasts while you are a full-time student. Read the 'My job is ending' path if you are finishing your program and want to stay.

Papers to gather

• Letter from the registrar confirming full-time enrolment and program dates
• Photo ID

Who to contact

I am retiring, or already retired, and want to stay

There are two ways to stay after retirement. Five consecutive years of working or running a business in the park immediately before you retire. Or having lived in the park both when you retired and on 30 July 1981.

Steps to take

1. 1

   Count the five years

   They must be consecutive and immediately before your retirement, and the job or business must have been primarily in the park. Years earlier than that, or a gap, do not add up to five.

2. 2

   Check the 1981 route if you are a long-time resident

   If you lived in the park on 30 July 1981 and were still living here when you retired, you qualify on that basis instead.

3. 3

   Collect proof before you retire

   Employer letters, tax records and pay stubs are far easier to get while the employer still knows you. Ask Realty what they will accept.

Papers to gather

• Records showing five consecutive years of employment or business in the park immediately before retirement
• For the 1981 route: proof you lived in the park on 30 July 1981 and at retirement
• Photo ID

Who to contact

My job is ending, or I am about to lose my place here

The regulation defines an eligible resident in the present tense: someone whose primary job is in the park. I could not find a grace period written into it. What happens next depends on Realty and on your landlord, so ask before you act.

Steps to take

1. 1

   Do not give up your home in a hurry

   Ask your landlord and Realty what they would expect of you and how long they would give. Do this before you resign or sign anything.

2. 2

   Look at the other ways to qualify

   A new job in the park, a business in the park, being a full-time student in the park, or being the partner or dependant of someone who qualifies.

3. 3

   Find out what help exists

   There is a Job Resource Centre on Caribou Street and the Banff Housing Corporation keeps waitlists. Both can talk through options even if you have not decided anything.

4. 4

   Get it in writing

   If Realty or your landlord tells you that you have time, ask them to put the date in an email.

Who to contact

I work remotely, or my job is outside the park

Working from home for an employer elsewhere, or commuting out of the park to work, does not make you an eligible resident. Parks Canada also says leaseholds cannot be used as a second home or a vacation home.

Steps to take

1. 1

   Do not sign a declaration that is not true

   Landlords and sellers ask for a sworn statement of eligibility. Knowingly signing a false one is an offence.

2. 2

   Look at where people in your situation live

   Canmore, about 25 minutes east, is outside the park and is not subject to this rule. Many people who work in Banff live there.

3. 3

   Ask Realty if you think you might qualify some other way

   A student, a partner of an eligible resident and a person running a licensed business in the park each qualify. If one of those fits you, use that path.

Who to contact

I rent out a room or home, or I am buying or selling a lease

The person who holds the lease is responsible for who lives in the home. Parks Canada can ask the leaseholder for a sworn statement that every occupant is an eligible resident, and a lease can be terminated if someone who is not eligible lives there.

Steps to take

1. 1

   Check every adult occupant, including tenants

   Each person living in the home must be an eligible resident or the partner or dependant of one.

2. 2

   Ask for proof before you hand over keys

   An employer letter or a student letter, plus ID. Keep copies.

3. 3

   Expect a declaration at a sale, a mortgage or a renewal

   Parks Canada confirms eligibility when a lease is bought, sold or changed. It is a sworn statement, and if you are not sure it is accurate, ask Realty before signing.

4. 4

   Ask about short stays

   Leaseholds cannot be a vacation home. If you are thinking of short-term rentals, the Town of Banff has its own rules on top of this one.

Papers to gather

• Proof of eligibility for each occupant
• Your lease
• Any statutory declaration you have been asked to sign

Who to contact

I live or work at Lake Louise

If you live, work or run a business at Lake Louise and you qualify for Banff through a job or a business, the regulation treats you as an eligible resident of both Banff and Yoho National Parks.

Steps to take

1. 1

   Check that you qualify through a job or a business

   This extension applies to the job and business categories only. It does not extend to students, retirees or other categories.

2. 2

   Use the same proof as for Banff

   An employer letter or business licence, as on the first path above.

Who to contact