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CBC
11 hours ago
- CBC
New Hinton-Jasper bus connects displaced Jasperites with workplaces, community
Social Sharing The municipality of Jasper is running a new commuter bus between Hinton and Jasper to give residents displaced by last year's wildfire another way to get to work and appointments. The commuter bus completes five trips a day between Hinton and Jasper. Jasperites who lost their homes in the 2024 wildfire can ride for free by showing a Recovery Pass, which they have to apply for from the municipality. Anyone can use the service. The first bus leaves the Parks West Mall in Hinton at 6:30 a.m. and the last one leaves the Jasper Transit Hub on Patricia Street at 10:15 p.m. The bus stops at Folding Mountain, about five kilometres before the Jasper National Park gate. After stopping at the Jasper Transit Hub, the bus loops up to the new interim housing village of Marmot Meadows, directly next to Whistlers Campground off Highway 93. For everyone else, the one-hour trip costs $15 one way. For adults, books of 10 tickets are $130 and a monthly pass is $150. Bill Given, Jasper's chief administrative officer, said the service is an option for people living outside the townsite in Marmot Meadows or for those who relocated to Hinton. "We know that there are many Jasperites who are displaced and we weren't going to be able to provide enough housing for everyone in the townsite," he said in an interview last week. "We also wanted to ensure that people could remain connected to employment, school and community life." Given said they've seen a mix of people using it, including residents, seasonal workers, and visitors. As of July 27, 276 trips were logged with the system and the majority of riders — 30 per cent — are Recovery Pass holders. The municipality contracted Sundog Tours and Transportation Ltd. to operate the service for two years, to start. The Government of Alberta is funding the service with $2 million for two years. The 'Teal Line' Jasper Transit has called the bus the Teal Line Regional Loop. The 24-seat vehicle has 'Jasper Transit' written on the side of it, just like the municipality's other buses that do the Green Line Lodge Loop, Red Line Campgrounds Loop and Orange Line Pyramid Loop. There's no sign at the front telling people it's a commuter bus from Hinton to Jasper. One of the bus drivers told CBC News that he often has to tell people what bus it is and where it's going because there's no sign. Leah Marshall, a visitor from Denmark, got on the commuter bus at the Jasper transit hub by mistake. "I thought it was the one leaving for the place I wanted to go, the Pyramid Loop, but I just asked the bus driver and he said it wasn't so I'll just wait for the right one," Marshall told CBC News. Given said they plan to advertise the service further, by working with the Hinton Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Jasper to get the word out to non-displaced people.
Yahoo
19-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Jasper points to 'mischaracterization' of wildfire report after Alberta premier calls for apology
OTTAWA — The top administrator in Jasper, Alta., downplayed claims Friday that a report his town commissioned into last summer's devastating wildfire was about blaming the province for making things worse, after the premier called on the town to apologize. Jasper Chief Administrative Officer Bill Given told the National Post that the initial media coverage of the report hasn't given the full picture of its contents, although he said he stands by the report. 'As with any comprehensive report, looking at any one part of it in isolation can easily lead to a mischaracterization of the overall content,' said Given in an interview. 'I would encourage everyone to take a look at the report in its entirety, so they have a clear understanding of what its intended scope is (and) what was out of scope.' Given also stressed that there were 'a lot of strengths' in the wildfire response, including contributions from the province. Several news outlets on Thursday, the day the report was released, highlighted some elements of the report that said the Alberta government had complicated firefighting efforts when it added itself to a previously established command structure set up between the town and Parks Canada. Smith called both the report and its coverage in the media 'disheartening' on Friday, saying the province was unfairly characterized as a clumsy interloper in wildfire relief efforts. 'The report and the media response not only appears politically motivated, it is also misguided, given its selective framing and failure to acknowledge the tireless work of provincial emergency personnel and leadership,' wrote Smith in a statement co-signed by three of her cabinet ministers. She also said that the report glossed over the federal government's complicity in the fire, specifically its failure to clear out highly flammable dead trees and other combustible debris from the area over the years. Smith said at an unrelated announcement about Alberta's Heritage Fund that she hoped the town would apologize for the report's contents. The 57-page report doesn't expressly attribute blame to the province but suggests at multiple points that provincial officials delayed firefighting efforts at the height of the blaze. 'Provincial involvement added complexity to the response, as the Province of Alberta, though not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the incident, regularly requested information and sought to exercise decision-making authority,' reads one line. The report also says that the province's involvement created 'political challenges that disrupted the focus of Incident Commanders, leading to time spent managing inquiries and issues instead of directing the wildfire response and reentry.' Jasper is a specialized municipality within Jasper National Park, a sprawling protected area administered by Parks Canada. A Unified Command comprising Parks Canada and the municipality led efforts to fight back the wildfire, although the fire ultimately destroyed one-third of the townsite and thousands of hectares of surrounding forest. A spokesperson with the town of Jasper said the community hasn't forgotten the province's contribution. 'We deeply appreciate the role Alberta Wildfire, (the Alberta Emergency Management Agency) and other provincial teams played during the response, and we're grateful for the Government of Alberta's continued support throughout the recovery process,' wrote the spokesperson in an email. The spokesperson declined to respond directly to the premier's comments and would not say whether an apology was forthcoming. Federal Emergency Management Minister Eleanor Olszewski said Friday that she was reviewing the report and would have more to say in the coming days. Olszewski also said that she didn't 'think it would be helpful' for her to discuss Smith's comments. She added that she will be in Jasper next week to mark the one-year anniversary of the blaze. National Post rmohamed@ John Ivison: After the inferno, Jasper is on the rebound Woman details encounter with Canada's friendliest moose Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here.
National Post
19-07-2025
- Politics
- National Post
Jasper points to 'mischaracterization' of wildfire report after Alberta premier calls for apology
OTTAWA — The top administrator in Jasper, Alta., downplayed claims Friday that a report his town commissioned into last summer's devastating wildfire was about blaming the province for making things worse, after the premier called on the town to apologize. Article content Jasper Chief Administrative Officer Bill Given told the National Post that the initial media coverage of the report hasn't given the full picture of its contents, although he said he stands by the report. Article content Article content 'As with any comprehensive report, looking at any one part of it in isolation can easily lead to a mischaracterization of the overall content,' said Given in an interview. 'I would encourage everyone to take a look at the report in its entirety, so they have a clear understanding of what its intended scope is (and) what was out of scope.' Article content Given also stressed that there were 'a lot of strengths' in the wildfire response, including contributions from the province. Article content Several news outlets on Thursday, the day the report was released, highlighted some elements of the report that said the Alberta government had complicated firefighting efforts when it added itself to a previously established command structure set up between the town and Parks Canada. Article content Smith called both the report and its coverage in the media 'disheartening' on Friday, saying the province was unfairly characterized as a clumsy interloper in wildfire relief efforts. Article content 'The report and the media response not only appears politically motivated, it is also misguided, given its selective framing and failure to acknowledge the tireless work of provincial emergency personnel and leadership,' wrote Smith in a statement co-signed by three of her cabinet ministers. Article content Article content She also said that the report glossed over the federal government's complicity in the fire, specifically its failure to clear out highly flammable dead trees and other combustible debris from the area over the years. Article content Article content Smith said at an unrelated announcement about Alberta's Heritage Fund that she hoped the town would apologize for the report's contents. Article content 'Provincial involvement added complexity to the response, as the Province of Alberta, though not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the incident, regularly requested information and sought to exercise decision-making authority,' reads one line. Article content The report also says that the province's involvement created 'political challenges that disrupted the focus of Incident Commanders, leading to time spent managing inquiries and issues instead of directing the wildfire response and reentry.'
