Federal government announces $60M more for Jasper wildfire recovery
Almost $40M of that money will be spent on housing
The government of Canada says it is spending more than $60 million to help Jasper, Alta., recover from last year's devastating wildfire.
Most of the funding will be spent on immediate housing solutions and long-term rebuilding plans, Jasper's new ministerial lead Terry Duguid announced Thursday.
"Interim housing isn't a permanent solution, but it's critical to make sure that Jasperites can stay in their community as we rebuild, and as the municipality plans for the long-term housing solutions and increased density," said Duguid, who is also Canada's minister of sport and the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada.
Of the new money, $30 million will be spent on the 320 total interim housing units Parks Canada has committed to setting up in and around Jasper, about 365 kilometres west of Edmonton. The dwellings, which are for residents displaced by the wildfire, are expected to start being delivered by mid-February.
Parks Canada has received roughly $133.1 million total for its Jasper wildfire response efforts, including the interim housing, according to a news release issued by the federal government.
Ottawa is also spending $9.4 million on Jasper housing through the Housing Accelerator Fund, a program run by the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation, the national housing agency, that supports local initiatives to quickly boost a community's housing supply.
Jasper had a housing shortage before about one-third of its homes and businesses were incinerated.
In this case, the goal is to remove barriers to housing construction in Jasper and more quickly build 240 permanent homes over the next three years. This is part of a broader plan to construct 505 multi-family homes over the next decade, the federal government's release says.
"There never has been enough housing in Jasper," said Bill Given, the Municipality of Jasper's chief administrative officer, during Thursday's news conference.
But the federal dollars mean the town "will have places to call home now and into the future," and help build high-density dwellings, he said.
Nearly 94 per cent of clean-up and demolition permits are in place. Debris from most properties is expected to be cleared by the spring to make room for rebuilding, said Alan Fair, superintendent of Jasper National Park.
The Alberta government is also getting $19.6 million through the federal Disaster Financial Assistance Arrangements program, which helps provincial and territorial governments pay recovery costs from large-scale natural disasters. The money will cover some costs incurred in the province's wildfire response last July.
Duguid highlighted the importance of collaboration in the recovery efforts.
"There's much that we can do to accomplish, together, for the residents and the businesses here," he said. "We have to keep them front and centre, keep the politics out of it, and do what the the residents and the businesses are asking of us."
In addition to the money, the federal Employment and Social Development Ministry is leading an employment insurance (EI) pilot project that will send a one-time credit of 300 insurable employment hours to people in Jasper, who established an EI claim from July 21, 2024, to July 19 of this year, the federal government release says.
This pilot tries to support people who were unable to work due to wildfire evacuations that closed businesses. Bunibonibee Cree Nation, in northern Manitoba, is also part of the pilot, the release says.
The federal government is also focused on ensuring that Jasper remains a major tourist destination. Duguid said some areas may look different, but the national park is still open for business
He added that visitors can book camping sites for the 2025 season.
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With files from Acton Clarkin