Latest news with #MunicipalityofJasper
CBC
24-07-2025
- Health
- CBC
Jasperites work through mental health struggles amid anniversary of destructive fire
The natural beauty of the Rocky Mountains has been like medicine for Melody Gaboury Scott. The Jasper woman said being outside in nature has helped her process last year's devastating wildfire. Mental health is top of mind for many residents, officials and organizations, as the community marks the one-year anniversary of a wildfire that destroyed roughly one-third of the townsite's buildings and forced the evacuation of approximately 25,000 residents and tourists. "The first time we came back, I was vibrating inside, shaking," she said. "It was terrible. That's all I could say, 'This is terrible.'" Gaboury Scott and her family lost their home. While they are now rebuilding, the experience of evacuating and returning to rubble has taken a toll. "The fire affected our mental health and our physical health too, because when your mental health suffers, you're losing sleep," she said. Supports available Christine Nadon, the Municipality of Jasper's incident commander, lost her house alongside several other firefighters and first responders. "You look at the hardship that losing 30 per cent of structures represented and still represents today. As you can see, it's super hard. It's going to take years for the community to recover," she said. Nadon said her priority has been ensuring people's mental health is being taken care of. "We have our very own fire department psychologist now. Our department is working with a psychologist for follow-ups and assessments and making sure that we give our members everything we possibly can," Nadon said. "When you go through something like this, it can be quite isolating for people who don't really understand what those guys went through that night." Residents who were forced to flee their homes are also getting support. Since late September, the Canadian Red Cross has been paying for therapy for residents and that financial assistance will be there as long as people need it, said vice-president of recovery Emily Pietropaolo. "It's really the right thing to do and people need that support at the end of day," she said. "That could be counselling. That could be a traditional healer. That could be a knowledge holder. That could be whatever it looks like for them." Pietropaolo said there is typically a bump in demand as time passes. "The challenge is a lot of people probably feel like they should be further along then maybe they are at the one-year mark. And so we anticipate people needing more of that support," she said. "Not everyone wants it and that's okay, but the offer is always there," she said. It's understandable that some Jasperites may be struggling, according to Olakunle Akinyode, a registered psychologist. "It's hard to still be in the community when you see it totally destroyed and there's reminders daily of the destruction and your life has shifted. I think it'd be almost impossible not to have some residual effect for a long period, especially while it's still rebuilding," he said. Akinyode said he has several clients who were Jasper evacuees and said many residents may be re-evaluating their lives after the natural disaster. "They're asking kind of more broad existential questions as well as kind of functional questions. 'How am I going to continue to exist in this area?'… But then some people ask, 'Is this where I want to be long term? Do I want to shift parts of my life?'" He said. Akinyode said there are a few key things that residents can do to help them on their recovery journey. "Focus on what you can do in the now. You look at those goals, those short-term goals, and you put your energies there because really, that's what you have control over," he said. He also suggests finding things that normalize your life to remind you of some stability. Feeling gratitude One year after the wildfire, Gaboury Scott said she has been trying different kinds of therapies to help her move forward. She is also putting emphasis on bike rides, walks, exercise and being with her community as ways to help her heal. "[I'm] focusing on being grateful for what we have and grateful to all the people that have supported us, not just to my family personally, but my business and my community," she said.
CBC
21-07-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Alberta premier demands apology from fire-stricken town of Jasper
Danielle Smith says report is 'unfair' and 'untrue' Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is demanding the fire-stricken town of Jasper apologize and retract a report criticizing her government for its role in last summer's devastating blaze. Smith, speaking at an unrelated press conference in Edmonton, also blamed the federal government for failing in the fire response by not asking sooner for provincial help and for not clearing out dead trees that provided fuel for the flames. "I'm very disappointed that this report politicizes what actually should be a very successful example of unified command," Smith said Friday. "This report come as a shot out of the blue. It's unfair, it's untrue and I would like them to withdraw it." Smith added: "This was a federal fire. It took place in a federal park, and it was a federal Parks Canada response. "I would ask for an apology from the city [Municipality of Jasper] as a result," she continued. "We want to work collaboratively with our municipal and federal partners, but pointing fingers at others when they should be looking at what they can do to improve their own response would have been a far better outcome." A Jasper municipal spokesperson said the municipality will not comment directly on the province's statement but did "want to clarify that the after-action review was commissioned by the municipality and independently authored, with the intent of supporting continuous improvement in emergency response and co-ordination. "The review focuses specifically on the municipality's role within the unified command structure during the wildfire. It does not assess the actions of Parks Canada or the Province of Alberta, nor does it cover recovery efforts or broader environmental conditions." The statement said the municipality deeply appreciated the role Alberta Wildfire, Alberta Emergency Management Agency and other teams played in the response and throughout the recovery process. The report commissioned by the municipality reflects a survey of firefighters and other front-line staff who battled the blaze, which destroyed a third of buildings in the town located in the federally run Jasper National Park. The municipality and Parks Canada had jurisdiction in fighting the fire. The report says Smith's United Conservative Party government complicated the response by regularly requesting information and by attempting to make decisions despite not having jurisdiction. "While Alberta Wildfire actively supported firefighting operations and participated in the [Incident Management Team], jurisdictional overlap with the province 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 re-entry," the report reads. Smith said her government had no involvement in the lead-up to the fire hitting the town but also that the report didn't accurately convey Alberta's contributions, including $181 million worth of support in disaster recovery funding, evacuation payments and more. "We all have to look at what we have done in the past and how we can improve. And I don't think that Parks Canada and the town of Jasper have done an adequate job of that," Smith said. "I hope they go back to the drawing board." Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said in a statement Smith's response to the report put politics above people's lives. "Rather than accepting responsibility and promising to do better, they do what they always do: lash out at any criticism, insult others and refuse to accept any blame for the mistakes they have made," Nenshi said. Earlier in the day, Smith took to social media to blast the report and the media. "It is disheartening to see a report and the media response to that report that so clearly overlooks the substantial, co-ordinated efforts undertaken by the Alberta government during the Jasper wildfire," Smith wrote Friday on social media. "Alberta's swift deployment of crews, emergency funding and operational support played a critical role in protecting lives and infrastructure, and these contributions are either minimized or ignored entirely." Bill Given, Jasper's chief administrator, said in an interview before Smith's news conference that the report wasn't to lay blame. It should be considered a chapter in an overall look at the fire response focusing on municipal improvements, he said. "We were specifically asking, 'How can [the town] improve?' And in order to find out how you can improve, you look for gaps, you look at overlaps, you look for weaknesses, and then you go to address them moving forward." Given said it was clear last July that Jasper's unique jurisdictional circumstance made the response complicated, and the report affirms the need for all parties to understand each other's roles. He also repeated that the report was written by independent consultants and based on surveys of those involved.
Global News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- Global News
Alberta government created command challenges fighting Jasper wildfire: Report
A report into a Jasper wildfire that devastated the Rocky Mountain resort town last summer says crews did their best but command and control was hampered by the Alberta government. The report was commissioned by the town and surveyed participants and firefighters who battled the wind-whipped blaze that destroyed a third of buildings in the community located in Jasper National Park. While the report says it wasn't meant to assign blame, it notes that town and Parks Canada officials trained together and had an integrated command structure, but things became challenging when the province got involved. Story continues below advertisement It says the Alberta government, while not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the crisis, made things more difficult with regular requests for information and by seeking to exercise decision-making authority. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The report says the interference disrupted the focus of incident commanders and forced them to spend precious time managing inquiries and issues instead of fighting the fire and leading the re-entry of residents. 'The response to the Jasper Wildfire Complex demonstrated the effectiveness of the strong Unified Command established by the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada,' said the report, issued Thursday. '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,' stated the report. 1:36 Jasper gets more government aid for wildfire recovery 'While Alberta Wildfire actively supported firefighting operations and participated in the (incident management team), jurisdictional overlap with the province 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 re-entry.' Story continues below advertisement A spokesman for Alberta Public Safety Minister Mike Ellis said they were working on a response. Jasper officials said they were not able to comment on the report but could do so Friday. The fire entered the town last July 24, with 25,000 residents and visitors forced out days earlier. The residents were out for three weeks.
CBC
17-07-2025
- General
- CBC
Jasper wildfire review recommends municipal response improvements
The Municipality of Jasper has released a report offering about two dozen recommendations to improve emergency response in various ways after last year's wildfire, including several with a focus on the gaps in interagency co-ordination. Among them was the need to better define jurisdictional boundaries between the municipal and Alberta governments, Parks Canada and provincial agencies like Alberta Wildfire. Responding to emergencies, like wildfires, is typically a provincial duty, but Jasper falls within federal jurisdiction because it's in a national park. Officials from the three levels of government previously expressed how navigating those jurisdictions complicated the recovery effort. The report, prepared by consultants hired by the municipality, was released nearly a full year after a large wildfire reached the Jasper townsite, about 315 kilometres southwest of Edmonton. The fire destroyed 358 structures in Jasper — about one-third of its total structures. Firefighter Morgan Kitchen was killed after being struck by a falling tree. Its purpose is not to assign blame, the report states.
