Jasper issues update on provincial response after Smith demands apology

The Municipality of Jasper has clarified that its wildfire recovery report was never intended to criticize the province, prompting new statements by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith.

Source: Wikimedia Commons

The Municipality of Jasper has clarified that its wildfire recovery report was never intended to criticize the province, prompting new statements by Alberta Premier Danielle Smith and Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis.

Smith said she appreciated the clarification and that Jasper had acknowledged the province’s critical support in fighting the 2024 wildfire that burned most of the town to the ground.

“We appreciate that the Town of Jasper has clarified the intent of their recovery report and acknowledged that it was never intended to be critical of the province’s contributions,” wrote Smith on X.

Ellis also expressed gratitude to the town, while simultaneously criticizing the media.

“I appreciate the Town of Jasper setting the record straight on the recent recovery report and recognizing the province’s support during the wildfire crisis,” he said. “Misrepresentation of the findings by some media outlets was not only misleading but also divisive. Let’s stick to facts over sensationalism and stay focused on supporting Jasper’s recovery.”

Smith rejected the report’s claim that “provincial involvement added complexity to the response.”

Smith commented on the report at a press conference on Friday shortly after its release.

“Whatever it is that they are trying to do to deflect blame, I’m not impressed with it. And I would ask for an apology from the city,” Smith said at the time.

While speaking at the same press conference, Smith called on Parks Canada to “swallow its ego” and work towards a unified command structure. She said that many of the wildfires in the province had been started due to poor forest management by the federal government.

An exclusive report by True North revealed that a senior planner of Jasper National Park made similar allegations, accusing federal mismanagement of being the culprit behind the wildfire that caused nearly $1 billion in damage and destroyed the town.

However, the Municipality of Jasper released an update on Monday.

“We take exception to the politicization of the After-Action Review and its observations, especially in the media. Jasper is committed to transparency and constructive reflection, and we believe emergency response deserves thoughtful dialogue—not division,” reads the update.

“Unfortunately, much of the recent media coverage has narrowly focused on a single sentence within a 50-page report. That isolated passage does not reflect the broader findings or the spirit of the After-Action Review.”

The line in question from the report was, “Provincial involvement added complexity to the response as the Province of Alberta, though not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the incident, regularly requested information and sought to exercise decision-making authority.”

In response to the provincial government’s reaction, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said on Monday that the intention of the report was not “to ascribe blame.”

"The report is the report. It was not intended to ascribe blame. It does not ascribe blame, and it is not a political instrument. Our regret is that it has been used as a political instrument,” said Ireland.

Jasper’s recent update acknowledged the importance of the province’s role, providing numerous examples of how the province helped during and after the event.

Among the highlights were providing crews, equipment, and expertise from the outset. The province also deployed firefighting and search and rescue teams to help with the evacuation. Additionally, the province invested $181 million in nine different programs to help Jasper and its residents.

“That support has continued. Earlier this week, the Municipality released the Jasper Recovery Year One Progress Report, which highlights the province’s substantial assistance in the recovery phase—from housing and mental health services to support for small businesses and economic recovery,” concluded Jasper’s media update. “That report, which covers a much broader timeframe than the AAR, clearly documents the province’s substantial support and highlights the strength of our ongoing partnership.”

Smith said she and the Town of Jasper have found some common ground.

“We share their concerns about how some media outlets chose to misrepresent and politicize the content and tone of the report. Our focus remains on working to build a stronger, more resilient future for Jasper and all Albertans affected by wildfires,” she said.