A fire truck travels past a devastated residential block in Jasper, Alta., on Friday July 26, 2024. Jasper residents who lost their homes in last month’s wildfire face unique rebuilding challenges tied to leasing provisions nearly as old as Canada. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Amber Bracken

By CKOM News

Returning Home

Jasper residents should prepare for “intense” re-entry into townsite

Aug 16, 2024 | 3:42 PM

Jasper residents who fled their homes more than three weeks ago were slowly making their way back to the town on Friday.

More than 5,000 people had to leave as a massive wildfire in the national park threatened their homes and businesses. According to Parks Canada, about 30 per cent of the town, mainly on the western side, has been destroyed.

Speaking on The Evan Bray Show, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said the voluntary re-entry would likely be an intense experience for many people.

“We are advising them to come with supports, and to be prepared. And it might be too early for some,” he said.

There’s also been a call for anyone going back to the town to bring three days’ worth of supplies with them.

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“Utilities have been restored in parts of the town, but not all parts… for some people they may have houses still intact. We don’t know the condition inside, but we won’t have full utilities,” he said.

“They must be able to accommodate themselves for a few days, for sure,” Ireland added.

The focus of the next several days will be to get residents to assess their homes and their businesses so they can begin to make a plan on how they’re going to go about rebuilding their lives.

The second priority will be to build some kind of temporary housing.

“We want people to get back to the community if they choose to do so, but we have to be able to provide them with accommodation,” said Ireland.

In the meantime, homeowners and property owners won’t have to worry about paying property taxes or utility bills.

“Council unanimously agreed to suspend taxes and utility payments for the time being, knowing our own residents and property owners are so stressed and so strapped because of this disaster,” he said.

There is also a provincial disaster relief program in place to help in the meantime.

Ireland added that it’s hard to know at this time what the rebuild will look like, but it will happen. The going phrase in the town is “build back better,” knowing that so many people have fond memories of their experiences in the National Park and in the town.

And there will eventually be room for visitors once again.

“We’ll find a way to ensure that that happens,” he said.