Jasper council decided against the name Fireweed Avenue for a roadway adjacent to an interim housing site and instead voted for Arnica Avenue during its Tuesday (Feb. 18) meeting.
Members of council and the community had been hesitant about including “fire” in the name.
“It is not for I or other councillors to determine who might be triggered but simply to respect that there has been an indication that some would be triggered by the recommended name,” Ireland said. “If that is the case, then we should avoid that.”
Administration had asked council to fast-track the naming process so civic addresses could be assigned, which will facilitate utility connections and allow tenants to obtain insurance, letting them move in as soon as possible.
Fireweed Avenue was initially recommended as a name to align with Jasper’s existing naming conventions and honour a native plant species known for its role in post-wildfire regrowth.
Coun. Wendy Hall noted she was not a fan of the name and suggested they name the road Cottonwood Creek Avenue, but administration said it would be too similar to the existing Cottonwood Creek Road.
Hall was willing to go with the other suggestion, “Arnica,” so they could speedily get residents into interim housing.
“I just would love a commitment to some more consultation down the road when the temporary homes go away,” she said.
CAO Bill Given suggested that council could engage in more robust consultation to see if the roadway should be renamed once the interim housing is removed a few years from now.
“Change often is complicated by the fact you have people who live on a specific address and get used to that,” Given said. “In this situation, I would make the observation that at the conclusion of the use of these sites as interim housing would be a time where there wouldn’t be anybody living on those sites, and that would be a time where we might be able to do a more robust public engagement.”
Ireland noted it may be possible in the future to keep the name Arnica Avenue but call the area Cottonwood Creek neighbourhood.
Other council highlights
Council approved funding the required 10 per cent municipal contribution toward tax relief for the 2024 year from the financial stabilization reserve. This is roughly $208,000.
The Alberta government has committed more than $3 million toward tax relief to help Jasper recover from the wildfire. This relief will cover the evacuation period for all properties and from July to December for damaged and destroyed properties.
Specifically, it is providing $1.908 million reflecting a 90:10 contribution split between the province and the municipality, in relief for municipal property taxes. It has also forgiven $1.114 million in 2024 education property taxes.
Christine Nadon, director of protective and legislative services, also reported to council that renovations at the fire hall were ahead of schedule.
The project is converting an existing two-bedroom residential suite into a four-bedroom suite for on-duty first responders at the station. The initial targeted completion date for the project was the end of April.
She added protective services was spearheading a municipal after-action review of the Jasper wildfire response. The review will identify changes needed to improve emergency management and emergency service.
It will also build a fact-based accounting of the incident, provide an opportunity for the community to debrief their experiences and share lessons learned with other communities.
A final report is expected to be published by the end of April.
