Jasper, Alta., preparing temporary housing as town rebuilds, evacuees return

As the residents of Jasper begin to return home, the town grapples with where to house them.

In July, a large wildfire destroyed one third of all buildings in the town, about 365 kilometres west of Edmonton. Now, many residents are anxious and uncertain.

"The No. 1 question I get as I go downtown every day is, 'When will we have temporary housing? Where are we going to live?'" said Coun. Helen Kelleher-Empey, who is also the town's deputy mayor, during the council meeting on Tuesday.

Coun. Rico Damota echoed those sentiments, saying people still feel in the dark regarding the housing issue in Jasper. 

"I've been speaking to people that are still living outside of the community and are very anxious to get back here and work and be contributing while their homes are being built," he said. 

"They just want to have some idea of what we're looking at." 

Essential workers prioritized for housing

The municipality is working with Parks Canada and the government of Alberta to define who qualifies for the essential worker list. Those on that list will be prioritized for housing, said Michael Fark, director of recovery at the Municipality of Jasper, during Tuesday's council meeting.

On Wednesday, Fark clarified essential workers would include people in emergency services and those with jobs necessary to resume essential services, such as internal administrative staff and education and health workers.

Some Parks Canada staff, including park wardens and visitor safety workers, would also be deemed essential, he added. 

The provincial government is conducting a housing survey to better understand the housing needs of evacuees who were at reception centres in Calgary and Edmonton. The information will help the municipality to fine-tune its housing strategy and match people with housing units as they became available. 

Fark urged anyone currently displaced, who requires housing in Jasper, to apply for accommodations.

As of Tuesday, 390 people have applied; about 100 were identified as essential workers, he said.

Town hopes to have short-term housing next week: Fark

The town is working on two types of housing for the returning residents: temporary housing will shelter people for up to 90 days, while interim housing will be for longer stays.

For short-term housing, Fark said the town is looking to mobilize a temporary camp for essential workers, and working with the hotel industry to secure units. 

The camp based in Hinton, Alta., would be moved to the Whistlers campsite parking lot, he said.

The town hopes to have "some initial short-term or temporary housing" in place by early next week, he said. 

Essential workers may be asked not to try to move into temporary accommodations with their families, as those units may not be suitable for family living, Fark said.

Interim housing would be more family-friendly, Fark said, adding that modular housing is being considered for this purpose. 

"It will come in modular flat-packed or trailer-style," he said. "They can actually be quite comfortable." 

Surviving hotel to host some returning residents

Jasper Inn and Suites is one of the hotels that will be hosting locals. The hotel didn't sustain any major structural damage from the fire, though there was considerably smoke damage, ash, char dust and roof damage, according to a statement from the hotel's parent company, INNhotels. 

Restoration of hotel rooms is underway, but the company anticipates that the hotel's restoration will take two to three months, the statement said.

"As we move forward, our focus will remain on supporting the local community," the statement said, adding that special crew rates and discounted long-term rates for locals will be offered during this time. 

The company is planning to reopen Jasper Inn & Suites for summer tourism in April next year, the statement said.

The 2024 camping season is over in Jasper National Park. All camping reservations have been cancelled and will be fully refunded, park officials said in a Facebook post Thursday.

Before visits can resume, workers need to remove fallen trees and repair infrastructure, and restore some essential services, such as emergency response services, garbage collection, washroom cleaning and maintenance, the post said.

Updates for the 2025 camping season will be shared on Jasper National Park's website and social media channels when available.