A slowdown in customer traffic on Main Street prompted a group of Pincher Creek business owners to seek the town’s help in attracting more visitors downtown, but the pitch didn’t go quite as planned.

After local merchants proposed a town-funded brochure promoting 23 downtown shops, councillors agreed the concept had potential but said it needed broader consultation, more inclusive business representation and a cohesive marketing strategy before public money could be committed.

In the meantime, council directed administration to look at improvements to existing downtown signage while broader branding discussions continue.

Mayor Wayne Oliver said the requests included creating a promotional brochure and improving signage directing visitors to Main Street. He said both projects could be covered within existing budgets.

“I met with a couple of business owners on Main Street. They’ve seen a decrease in foot traffic on Main Street businesses this year, and they’ve proposed creating some awareness of some of the good things that we have,” he said.

The brochure presented lists 23 downtown businesses and a map to show their location on Main Street.

It also includes a brief history of downtown Pincher Creek, tracing the community’s roots from Indigenous Peoples of the Blackfoot Confederacy, Stoney Nakoda and Tsuut’ina nations through the arrival of the North West Mounted Police and the ranching and railway era of the late 1800s.

The proposal called for printing 5,000 copies for distribution in local hotels and other visitor spots.

Oliver said the estimated cost is about $2,000 — roughly $1,400 for the outer brochure and $600 for the insert, or about 40 cents per copy.

A question of fairness

Council’s questions came quickly, many circling the same concern: if the town pays, who gets left out?

Coun. Sahra Nodge said she was confused about the origin of the brochure and whether it was a town product or a private one. That distinction, she said, mattered. She also questioned whether the town should fund a publication that highlights some businesses while leaving others out.

“If this is a Town of Pincher Creek product, we need to be aware that the things we include and don’t include have an impact on businesses in our community,” she said.

If the brochure becomes a town publication, Nodge said, council must ensure businesses are treated fairly. She noted businesses that were omitted and said those decisions could create the appearance of favouritism.

She also questioned some of the brochure’s content.

“In terms of imagery, I think it’s a little bit misleading to have an ice cream cone [on the brochure] when they don’t have any ice cream businesses in town,” Nodge said.

Coun. Gordon McMullen said the Royal Canadian Legion was also overlooked.

“They’ve always got signs out inviting everybody in,” McMullen said. “If it’s brought up to them, they would be willing to probably fund some of it too.”

Coun. Valerie Wynder asked whether the business owners behind the brochure had connected with the local chamber of commerce or with the South Canadian Rockies Tourism Association, a regional destination management organization with access to tourism grants.

“As a council, it doesn’t look great for us to cherry-pick certain businesses. We want to support the whole thing,” she said.

Coun. Brian McGillivray raised the question of fairness beyond downtown. If the town funded promotion for Main Street businesses, he said, it would have to consider doing the same for businesses elsewhere in Pincher Creek.

“If we’re going to pay for it, it should be inclusive rather than exclusive,” he said.

Is a brochure the answer?

McGillivray went further, questioning whether the brochure would make a meaningful difference at all.

“This isn’t going to build business downtown,” McGillivray said. “What we need to consider is that the real reason why business is shrinking is because people are out of money.”

He said spending patterns at local grocery stores reflected broader economic strain, with shoppers shifting to lower-cost brands. Some businesses, he said, had seen sales drop by as much as 50 per cent.

Nodge pushed for a more strategic approach. Rather than producing one-off promotional pieces, she said the town should develop a cohesive brand — one where billboards, brochures, online content and regional partnerships all tell the same story.

“I want them to be really pretty and really connected,” Nodge said. “A whole branded promotional strategy rather than one-offs that look different all over the place.”

Wynder added that cohesive regional branding could also strengthen future grant applications.

“When we can show regional collaboration, that makes us look more attractive to granting,” she said.

She suggested the town reach out to Alberta Southwest Regional Alliance and the MD of Pincher Creek as potential partners.

Oliver said the brochure should be viewed as an early draft intended to start a conversation rather than a finished product.

Council accepted the report as information without approving funding for the brochure.

Signage gets a closer look

Oliver noted a sign near the Heritage Inn directing traffic from Waterton Lakes National Park is faded and partially obscured by trees. A second sign on Main Street heading south is almost entirely hidden by overgrown bushes. A third sign on Highway 3, between Highway 785 and Pincher Station, has carried a graffiti tag for more than 20 years.

Coun. Mark Barber said the signage work shouldn’t wait for a full branding exercise to be completed.

“The downtown vendors and stores are really struggling right now,” he said. “If we can do anything, if they feel that better signage would help, I’d like to get on top of it sooner rather than later.”

Konrad Dunbar, the town’s chief administrative officer, said addressing the existing signs was already on the town’s to-do list. He recommended separating the immediate maintenance work — trimming trees, washing signs, touching up paint — from any larger rebranding effort, which he said would be better addressed during budget discussions.

Council agreed and passed a motion directing administration to examine the costs of improving existing downtown signage, with a focus on rebranding and consistency.