Jasper residents begin moving into interim housing as recovery continues
The first wave of Jasper residents displaced by the wildfires began moving into interim housing on Wednesday.
The first wave of Jasper residents displaced by the wildfires began moving into interim housing on Wednesday.
Co-director of the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre with Parks Canada, Amy Cairns, said that Jasper residents will continuously be moving in over the next few months.
She said that Parks Canada provided 4.25 hectares of land in the town of Jasper, along with additional land at Marmot Meadows. Parks Canada procured more than 300 units of housing — consisting of 100 duplex trailers and 120 dorm-style trailers.
Cairns said 70 families were planning to move into the interim housing by the end of the week, with more to follow in the spring.
Logan Ireland, the municipal recovery project manager for the coordination centre and himself a Jasperite, said that residents’ faces were beaming with gratitude to have a roof over their heads.
“The interim housing is part of the aggregate solution to rehome Jasperites who were displaced by the wildfire. Along with interim housing, we are looking to re-establish permanent housing for Jasperites,” said Ireland.
He said that the first step was to remove the debris from the town. Ireland explained that 98 per cent of demolition permits have been issued to destroy properties, and half of the properties have already had the debris removed.
Ireland said that Jasper is on track to begin the rebuild in May 2025, aiming to have the first houses built eight to ten months after that, when some Jasperites can relocate to their previous properties.
Due to Mother Nature, the municipality has had to get creative with solutions for essential services. Each unit has water, electricity, satellite TV, Internet, and more.
The Canadian Red Cross is partnering on the project to provide property management services to Jasper. The charitable organization is helping manage and maintain the interim housing and sites, administer leases and collect payments, manage utilities, and more.
The senior director of emergency operations for the Canadian Red Cross, Kim MacLean, said the organization hopes to manage any issues that pop up so that residents have a safe place to stay.
Parks Canada revealed that 70 seasonal campsites are reserved for interim housing in 2025, in addition to the interim housing units.
The Government of Alberta previously accused its federal and local partners of delaying the Jasper rebuild in Jan. 2025.
The federal government and its partners announced $160 million in funding to rebuild Jasper on Feb. 6, 2025. Of this funding, $30 million is allocated for interim housing, while $9.4 million will be directed through the Housing Accelerator Fund to support long-term housing solutions.
The Jasper wildfires caused nearly $1 billion in damage and destroyed a third of the town, resulting in over 360 square kilometres of burned or partially burned areas and 358 destroyed structures.
While some Jasper residents are finally able to return to their town, many remain displaced.
Alberta’s municipal elections are set for Oct. 20.
Ric McIver, Alberta’s minister of municipal affairs, adjusted the province’s election rules to allow displaced Jasper residents to vote in the upcoming election.
As long as residents were able to do so before the wildfires, they will be able to vote and run for office, either for a seat on the town council or for their local school board, irrespective of where they are living.
Parks Canada will host a virtual forum on Mar. 5, followed by an in-person session at the Jasper Activity Centre on Mar. 6 to address recovery efforts.
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