· Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper have worked together to thin forests around the town of Jasper, removing over 1,700 hectares of forest to reduce wildfire risk since 2003. This area is nearly the size of downtown Edmonton. Parks Canada has also established and maintained fire control lines around Jasper since the 1980s to help reduce fire risk to the community.
· Parks Canada uses prescribed fires and mechanical thinning to lower the risk of wildfires. Since 2018, more than 800 hectares near Jasper has been thinned or cleared to create protective firebreaks. Additionally, since 2003, fire management specialists at Jasper National Park have completed 43 prescribed fires, covering 4,300 hectares.
· On the evening of Monday, July 22, 2024, the first report of a wildfire northeast of the town of Jasper near the Jasper transfer station was received. Shortly after, three additional wildfires, ignited by lightning, were reported approximately 22 km south of town, which quickly merged into one wildfire. At 8:00 p.m. that evening, an evacuation alert was issued and at 10:00 p.m., an evacuation order was issued for Jasper National Park, including the town of Jasper. Within 48 hours, the wildfire reached town. For more details, visit the official timeline of the Jasper Wildfire web page and the Jasper Wildfire FAQ web page.
· Despite best efforts, and the deployment of hundreds of firefighters on the ground, the aggressive and fast-moving fire could not be contained before it reached the town.
· Jasper National Park and the town of Jasper were deeply affected by the wildfire, with total loss to one third of the town's buildings, as well as a loss or damage to a substantial amount of the national park's infrastructure, including staff housing, grounds, utilities buildings, highways and roadways, bridges, docks, trails, day-use areas and facilities, campgrounds, and exhibits and interpretation panels.
· Following the 2024 Jasper wildfire, the Mayor of Jasper and Superintendent of Jasper National Park both emphasized that all possible prevention measures had been taken. Despite these efforts, extreme heat over 30oC for several days, drought conditions, combined with strong winds and lightning storms, caused the wildfire to spread rapidly.
Federal Funding Details
· Parks Canada undertook extraordinary measures to manage, suppress and contain the Jasper wildfire that impacted both the national park and the community, while managing the entire 2024 season as the most expensive wildfire season to date for Parks Canada. The Jasper wildfire alone was the second most expensive wildfire event in Canadian history, with insured damage estimated to be $1.23 billion.
· The Government of Canada's investment of $133.1 million for Parks Canada is supporting costs incurred in response to the 2024 wildfire season, including the unprecedented wildfire in Jasper National Park. This federal funding will support Parks Canada's 2024 wildfire response as a whole, as well as recovery and rebuilding efforts specific for Jasper National Park, as follows:
o Up to $45.2 M for Incident Response in Jasper including costs for direct fire suppression costs, deployment of wildfire crews, support resources for fire crews, and costs for suppression services delivered through the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre's Mutual Aid Resource Sharing Agreement.
o Up to $80.1M for Recovery and Re-entry including costs to provide incident response resources from across the country and temporary accommodation to ensure continued park operations. Significant efforts were undertaken to clear danger trees along roadways, trails, day-use areas and other commercial areas to ensure public safety, contributing to a quick re-opening of many parts of the national park. Funding has also supported Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC) costs, repair of key assets and visitor areas, recovery and restoration activities to ensure safe access to the park for staff and visitors and longer-term temporary and interim housing for Jasperites.
o Up to $7.7M for other fire pressures which includes costs for fighting fires in 2024-25 other than the Jasper wildfire, such as the Wood Buffalo National Park fires that restarted in spring 2024 from the 2023 wildfires and 2024 wildfires in Kootenay National Park.
· Moving forward, this funding will enable Parks Canada to continue to support housing, offer high quality visitor experiences, address ongoing national park re-opening and visitor safety, boost the park's tourism offer that supports local businesses, and maintain ecological health in Jasper National Park.
· This funding announcement, combined with $52.5 million in federal funding provided through Budget 2021, brings the total investment committed by the Government of Canada to over $100M over five years to Parks Canada Wildland Fire Fighting to conduct risk reduction, preparedness, and response activities.
Temporary and Interim Housing
· The wildfire severely impacted the town of Jasper and the national park. Approximately one third of the Municipality of Jasper's buildings - 358 out of 1,113 - were destroyed, including homes, businesses, and essential community facilities, built assets and buildings, with approximately 800 housing units lost.
· Approximately 4.25 hectares of land (which is approximately seven CFL football fields) have been made available by Parks Canada for interim housing in the town. These lands are connected to municipal services and have been ready to receive interim housing since December 6, 2024. Parks Canada has provided the land, in four locations, under a five-year agreement with the Municipality of Jasper. Sites were selected based on the size of the land, access to utilities and proximity to town services.
· Additional parcels outside the town have been identified for interim housing. Marmot Meadows, adjacent to Whistler Campground, will be the location of a camp-style facility to house over 120 residents, and Wabasso Campground has been identified for the location of a potential contractor camp for rebuild workforce and seasonal staff.
· With the Municipality of Jasper, Parks Canada will continue to explore additional parcels of land within the town for interim and long-term housing.
· The Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre has established a dedicated interim housing working group with representatives from all interested and responsible parties to ensure early issue identification, coordination, and open communication. This group prepared and implemented the interim housing program plan that was presented and endorsed by the Jasper-Alberta-Canada Intergovernmental Recovery Committee and submitted to the Alberta Government in September by the Municipality.
· A framework is in place for the allocation of interim housing for Jasper residents throughout the rebuild and recovery period to address disaster-related housing shortages and support successful recovery. The framework guides priority allocation of interim housing considering community resident "categories" including, but not limited to, safety and medical personnel, essential services like grocery, pharmacy and banking, vulnerable individuals, essential operations for both municipal and national park functions, critical services and contractors for rebuilding.
· Interim housing will begin arriving in mid-February, providing dwellings as follows:
o 100 duplexes, creating 200 units, slated primarily for within the Jasper townsite. Some units may be located in Marmot Meadows depending on space constraints within town.
o 120 single dorm-style units at Marmot Meadows, suitable for singles or couples, with shared kitchen and laundry spaces.
o 4 pre-built units (3-bedroom, 1-bedroom, and studio).
o 20 two-bedroom prefabricated units for long-term staff housing.
· Additionally, 70 campsites are reserved for resident interim housing in 2025. Staff accommodations outside of town and previously identified for decommissioning have been reopened for use, and Parks Canada is collaborating with commercial operators outside the town for on-site interim housing solutions.
Streamlining Processes
Parks Canada has expedited rebuild efforts by:
- Development and Planning Capacity: Adding 16 planning and development review staff across Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper. Since December 2024, this team has hosted over 80 pre-development meetings and responded to over 830 inquiries from lessees and contractors.
- Responsiveness and Communication with Lessees: Engaging the public through four public open houses with hundreds in attendance and with representation from the Insurance Industry and the Canadian Red Cross.
- Demolition and Debris Removal: Streamlining demolition and debris removal permits. As of January 2025, demolition permits have been issued for over 90% of impacted sites. Progress is on track for substantial completion by May 2025 in time for the upcoming construction season. Lessees of the remaining sites are working through insurance processes and personal decisions. Parks Canada continues to provide support.
- Improved Development Policies: Updating land use policies to accelerate rebuilding. Working closely with the Municipality of Jasper to leverage the Housing Accelerator Fund, through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation, to support rebuilding efforts and to build capacity for housing development. Reducing compliance costs and simplifying application processes.
- Collaboration with the Insurance Industry: Working closely with the insurance industry during the incident, re-entry, and recovery. Including them in recent public open houses to allow direct and one-on-one engagement with impacted residents.
- Collaboration with the Construction Industry: Hosting two builders' meetings and working with local and regional builders to prepare and coordinate the upcoming construction season. Exploring options for contractor workforce interim housing.
