The Municipality of Jasper will end its state of local emergency on Sunday (Sept. 15) a month after residents were first allowed to return.
Mayor Richard Ireland said during a media briefing on Friday (Sept. 13) that the state of local emergency had allowed the municipality to implement swift actions, which were essential to protect lives and property during the wildfire.
“Ending the state of local emergency signals a transition from acute emergency response into stabilization and longer-term recovery efforts,” Ireland said.
“While the immediate threat has subsided, our community continues to face significant challenges in stabilizing the situation and leading into recovery and rebuild.”
Businesses have steadily been reopening in Jasper over the past few weeks, but to protect resident privacy, the municipality has placed signage to encourage local traffic only in the west end of town.
Visitors are asked to avoid driving through areas with restricted access and taking pictures of the parts of town most impacted by the wildfire.
Ireland said it was important to strike a balance between resuming economic activity and supporting residents “who are experiencing profound personal grief, loss and anxiety, each in their own way.”
“Jasper prides itself on being a welcoming, friendly destination, sharing this beautiful place we are so fortunate to call home with visitors from across Canada and around the world,” he added.
“The gradual resumption of our necessary visitor economy will reduce the risk of some returning residents falling into further adversity from prolonged unemployment.”
On Friday (Sept. 13), more areas of Jasper National Park reopened, including Snaring Road up to the Moberly Homestead.
All day-use areas from the Icefields Centre to Honeymoon Campground are also open, as well as additional areas of Pyramid Bench.
Parks Canada has listed all open areas on its website. Some areas of the park and town remain closed to the public.
“Closures are in place to support overall recovery by prioritizing public safety, minimizing congestion and protecting the privacy of residents,” said Supt. Alan Fehr of Jasper National Park.
“By respecting area closures, we can ensure safety while supporting the recovery process. Entering a closed area is unlawful. Failure to comply is a serious offense.”
Residents and visitors are reminded to obey all signage. Intermittent road closures may be needed to safely take down trees.
Interim housing update
The Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC), a partnership between the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada, has been assessing interim housing options that might be available.
“In Jasper, housing has always been a critical challenge, and this issue is even more acute following the wildfire where over 800 dwelling units were lost, displacing nearly 2,000 residents,” said Jasper CAO Bill Given.
“We want to ensure that residents and the community understand that all three levels of government are actively working on increasing the interim housing options for Jasper, but it will also continue to be important that Jasperites explore solutions that might work for them as well.”
Given said a housing survey and subsequent housing applications submitted by residents have given the JRCC detailed information about the housing needs of the community.
On Sept. 5, an expression of interest (EOI) was issued for vendors to provide prefabricated housing or workforce accommodation options in designated locations in and near Jasper.
By Thursday (Sept. 12), the EOI garnered interest from 38 potential vendors, with 13 of them choosing to submit expressions of interest.
Given noted that their team would review those submissions and consider suitability, price and expediency.
“We want to have it quick, we want to have it fit the needs of Jasper residents and we need to have it something that Jasper residents and all of us will be able to afford,” he said.
Any housing established would be an interim solution and rented at market rates.
“We expect modular prefabricated housing to form an important part of that interim solution, but it’s not going to solve the challenge entirely,” Given said.
“We know it's important for Jasperites to feel informed about the progress being made in this area, and as we move forward, you will be able to continue to find more details on our website.”
Ric McIver, minister of Municipal Affairs, said the Alberta government was supporting the development of interim housing options while the rebuild is underway in Jasper.
“It is important to recognize that the interim housing supply will be limited, and priority will have to be given to groups such as essential workers once these interim housing options are in place,” McIver said.
“Now, I also recognize this new housing won’t pop up overnight, but the work is happening to make a difference on the ground.”
The Government of Alberta has also agreed to fund temporary accommodation for essential workers until Nov. 30.
