Wildfire recovery was front and centre during Jasper National Park’s Annual Public Forum at the Jasper Activity Centre on Thursday (March 6).
Alan Fehr, superintendent of Jasper National Park, spoke to the forum audience on how the park continues to recover from the disaster.
“2024 for Jasper National Park was a year like no other,” Fehr said. “The wildfires, the evacuation, [and] subsequent re-entry were incredibly traumatic and stressful, and … it was the most challenging period in my life as a superintendent.”
“But together, the municipality, the visitors, residents, the Province, Parks Canada, we’ve achieved a lot, and I know together, we’re going to continue to see successes, and we’re going to get through this, and we’re going to get through this together as a community,” he added.
The forum began with remarks from Terry Duguid, federal minister for PrairiesCan and ministerial lead for Jasper, as well as Ron Hallman, president and CEO of Parks Canada. This was followed by a year-in-review presentation from Parks Canada staff, with a heavy focus on the Jasper wildfire, and ended with table topic discussions.
Besides the wildfire, Parks Canada staff were available to speak on topics such as avalanche control, caribou recovery and Indigenous relations and cultural heritage.
During a media scrum, Fehr noted the most common question he got about the recovery process and Jasper’s future was, “Are we still at risk of wildfire?”
Parks Canada has been actively preparing for the upcoming wildfire season, focusing on vegetation management and fireguard enhancements this winter.
The agency has also been working to restore campgrounds damaged by the wildfire, with the Wapiti Winter Campground reopening on Friday (March 7).
This summer, Jasper will have 70 per cent of its frontcountry camping available to the public, and some campsites will have longer operational seasons for more camping opportunities.
“Most of our efforts right now are going towards the repair and recovery of Whistler Campground,” Fehr said. “That’s the big one, so 781 sites, and it was the least damaged, and we’ve done a lot of work already to start getting that ready.”
Fehr explained campgrounds played a significant role in the local economy and made national parks more accessible for those unable to afford hotel rooms.
“Hotels can be several hundred dollars a night, and if you don’t have that kind of income, you’re not going to be able to afford to stay, so for us, the campgrounds are fundamentally important for that,” he said.
Wabasso Campground and a portion of Wapiti Campground will remain closed this upcoming season due to wildfire damage. Parks Canada is also setting aside 70 sites at Marmot Meadows near Whistlers Campground for temporary housing.
Nearly all areas of the park will be open to the public, but a few areas remain closed and require more detailed repair and reclamation work. These areas include Maligne Canyon, Valley of the Five Lakes and Edith Cavell.
Parks Canada is aiming to have all three areas open in some capacity sometime this summer. Fehr also confirmed the Palisades Centre would eventually reopen, but the agency would prioritize other areas such as Whistlers Campground.
Regarding recovery within the townsite, Parks Canada is working with the Municipality of Jasper via the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre to remove debris in preparation for the rebuild.
Parks Canada has also supplied interim housing for displaced residents, and it will lease a parcel of land along Connaught Drive to the municipality for a nominal fee of $1, which will be used to develop a 40-unit affordable housing rental complex.
“Housing has been an issue for many years in Jasper, and we’ve been working with the municipality and the housing corporation on a variety of projects over the years, and with the need for [more] housing following the fire of 2024, it was just an opportunity to hasten one of those projects along,” Fehr said.
As for whether Parks Canada could handle wildfire recovery and its regular operations simultaneously, Fehr noted the support from various partners and Parks Canada as an agency that allowed Jasper National Park staff to get through the first few months after the fire.
“At first, it was all about re-entry and recovery, very little on operations, and it’s gradually now becoming more of a balance, and we’ll continue to have some kind of dedicated team, like the recovery team, for some time so that we can continue to run the park,” he said.
