Jasper council is considering the name “Fireweed Avenue” for the roadway on Parcel HI, an interim housing site on the northeast corner of town.
Town planner Marley Pollock told council on Tuesday (Feb. 11) that the naming was crucial so civic addresses could be assigned, which would facilitate utility connections and allow tenants to obtain insurance.
“Naming the roadway promptly is crucial to avoid delays in setting up utilities and allowing residents to move into these facilities,” Pollock said.
Parks Canada is procuring 320 interim housing units for residents displaced by the Jasper wildfire. Units are beginning to arrive this week with initial occupancy expected by the end of February.
Four land parcels within the townsite have been allocated for this housing.
For the roadway adjacent to the northeast interim housing site, administration recommended the name “Fireweed Avenue” to align with Jasper’s existing naming conventions and honour a native plant species known for its role in post-wildfire regrowth.
“The name symbolizes the community’s resilience and recovery, making it a meaningful and fitting choice for this roadway,” Pollock said.
According to administration, the financial impact would be limited to the cost of installing a few road signs, and the municipality was already working with emergency services to ensure proper recognition of the new road name and associated civic addresses.
While council had the option to conduct public engagement before approving a name, Pollock warned this could cause significant delays that would affect people’s ability to move into the interim housing units.
Coun. Rico Damota said he was not a fan of the proposed name and was worried about the lack of process.
“One of the comments that came forward after this [appeared] on the agenda was that the word ‘fire’ itself might be a little triggering to some, and after I contemplated that, that’s one of the reasons why I really didn’t want to support it,” Damota said.
He added the municipality should also honour Morgan Kitchen, the firefighter who died during the Jasper wildfire, although he acknowledged a street name might not be significant enough of an honour.
Coun. Scott Wilson voiced support for the name, noting it had “a good significance” to the area that the road was servicing.
“I appreciate how quickly this has come because we are trying to get housing in, and I really wouldn’t want a whole naming process to unfold in front of us when what we are trying to deal with is getting people in homes,” Wilson said.
Coun. Helen Kelleher-Empey noted the community had a week to provide their input before council decided on the name.
Mayor Richard Ireland added they could potentially consider this an interim name and rename the street in the future if needed.
“Interim housing is the most critical matter that we are dealing with right now,” Ireland said. “If there is any chance that not having a proper name for fire response or any other purpose in any way impedes that, then I think that we should move forward.”
