Burned debris is starting to be cleaned up in Jasper after devastating July wildfire
Removal efforts are expected to last until spring 2025
For more than three months, piles of burned wreckage have sat mostly untouched behind blue fencing in Jasper, blocking off what's left of more than 350 buildings destroyed in July's wildfire.
Now, sounds from heavy construction machinery fill the air, and crews wearing hazmat suits and ventilators can be seen sifting through rubble behind some of the fences; all signs of wildfire debris removal ramping up.
Parks Canada owns all of the land in Jasper because it's within Jasper National Park. Residents lease parcels of land from the federal government and are able to build on them, but only own the structures — not the land itself.
That makes residents responsible for debris cleanup, and they also must follow recently developed removal rules.
WATCH | Here's how burned wildfire debris is being cleaned up in Jasper:
Before any work is physically done, leaseholders need to apply for a development permit from Parks Canada, authorizing demolition and debris removal.
Next, debris from each of the 358 destroyed structures needs to be tested for toxins, including asbestos — fibrous minerals often used in construction pre-1990. Breathing in asbestos fibres is now known to pose health risks, like lung scarring and cancer.
For safety, removal crews on all sites wear personal protective equipment. Workers are also required to regularly water down debris with hoses, which helps prevent asbestos fibres from floating up into the air.
Representatives from Alberta's occupational health and safety department and from Parks Canada are in Jasper to ensure safety and permit rules are being followed.
A working group for debris management assembled by the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC) told CBC in an interview late last month that safety is a top priority. The JRCC is a partnership between the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada, established in August to help co-ordinate recovery efforts.
"Care and consideration has gone into every step of this process," said JRCC project manager Logan Ireland in an interview Oct. 31.
He said Parks Canada created a "supplemental mitigation document" to support guidelines that contractors need to follow when they are moving debris.
"Also every other provincial, municipal and federal guideline will apply," Ireland said.
The debris is loaded into trucks and driven outside Jasper National Park. Some of the material will be recycled, but most of it will be dropped off 75 kilometres east of Jasper at the West Yellowhead Regional Landfill, just outside the town of Hinton, Alta., according to a news release from the landfill.
Some sites in Jasper will need to be backfilled to prevent collapse and potential structural damage to adjacent properties. That work is also part of the debris management process.
The entire removal project is expected to take until spring 2025.
A 'turnkey' solution
To try and find efficiencies, construction management company EllisDon has been selected by a group of insurers to lead a bulk debris removal program.
"We offer a turnkey solution for Jasper," said EllisDon construction manager Dallas Lindskoog.
"Every aspect of the debris removal process … can be handled by EllisDon, from start to finish."
EllisDon is hiring contractors to carry out the work, but leaseholders are not required to sign up to be part of the bulk debris removal program.
EllisDon estimates the total cost for all of these steps to be $48 to $56 per square foot for traditional homes, and between $27 and $32 per square foot for mobile homes.
The Jasper wildfire is the second costliest wildfire in Canada's history for insured damage, according to Rob de Pruis, national director of consumer and industry relations for the Insurance Bureau of Canada.
The bureau is an industry association representing 66 Canadian home, car and business insurance companies, and is helping co-ordinate efforts between insurers.
"No two properties are exactly the same. Every property has a different cost or limit for rebuilding," said de Pruis.
"Many insurance policies have finite limits for debris removal and rebuilding. So they always try to work towards the most cost effective and efficient solution."
Mixed emotions about debris cleanup
Logan Ireland from the JRCC grew up in Jasper and has lived there for most of his life. He says locals have a mixed bag of emotions about debris removal, but there is optimism in the air.
"I recognize that it can be a difficult process, and people are dealing with a complex web of emotions. And I think due time should be allowed for that," he said.
"And in the same vein, we're all working towards this collectively, and the faster we can have all the leaseholder authorizations signed and people committed to debris removal, the faster we will be on our way to a complete recovery."
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