Latest news with #RichardIreland
CBC
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Meet Alberta's only federal cabinet minister
Some leaders in Alberta are applauding Prime Minister Mark Carney's choice to appoint Edmonton Centre Liberal MP Eleanor Olszewski to federal cabinet. The lawyer, business owner and former army reservist will be the new minister of emergency management and community resilience. She will also be the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada. Jasper's mayor, Richard Ireland, said he will be keeping a close watch on ministerial developments as his town continues to recover from the devastating 2024 wildfire that destroyed a third of all buildings in the community. He said part of his excitement comes from the "community resilience" part of Olszewski's new title. It's something that he and his town have taken to heart in the wake of last year's disaster. "I think it's a great choice and really relevant for us here in Jasper, and relevant for Alberta," Ireland said. "Recognition at the federal level of the importance of community resilience is fundamental." He said extreme weather is becoming more common and more intense, from floods and atmospheric rivers to drought and wildfires. "Designating a minister as the Minister for Emergency Management and Community Resilience, I think is a display that the federal government recognizes the importance of making our communities more resilient to the impacts of climate and severe weather." 'No stranger to disaster' Olszewski is one of several rookie members announced to cabinet, and is also the only Alberta MP appointed to cabinet, which Rural Municipalities of Alberta said is a good first step in working with the federal government. "As Albertans, we are no stranger to disaster in this province," said president Kara Westerlund. "We know that she has first-hand experience of the pain and the suffering that comes from our communities that have been affected in the past. Unfortunately, we know just going forward that it's going to be a continued issue." Westerlund said she is hopeful that a meaningful partnership between the province and Ottawa will help municipalities across the province prepare for emergencies in the future. "I know a lot of the plans that need to be put in place to protect against wildfire and floods obviously come with a pretty hefty price tag, one that is far exceeding what municipalities are able to contribute on their own," she said.
National Observer
28-04-2025
- Politics
- National Observer
As towns burn and reefs bleach, whither are we bound?
The most sensible intervention of the federal election campaign came not from the federal leaders but a more humble layer of government: mayors and councillors from across the country banded together urging the federal parties to get their 'elbows up for climate.' One of the most poignant signatures to the open letter was Richard Ireland, the mayor of Jasper. Just nine months ago, an inferno roared into the beloved townsite in the Rockies. National politicians were rushing to offer help at the time, but on the campaign trail, they have been more eager to promise support to the companies that fuel the flames. 'Our experience certainly shows what can happen with climate change and climate-change catastrophe,' Ireland said, as he and over one hundred of his colleagues insisted that climate action be given more priority in the campaign. Mayors and First Nations leaders must be dreading the warming days in the Northern Hemisphere. New York was already choked with smoke this week (although thus far they cannot 'blame Canada' since the fires are raging through the Pine Barrens of New Jersey). Fire season is not only lengthening but has become a kind of Russian roulette for municipal leaders: where will the fires rage this year? Whose town might be next on the ashen list? 'My hope is that no other community has to face challenges in the same way we did,' said Ireland. And yet, the plea from Mayor Ireland felt inconsonant with a campaign peppered with pipeline promises. As the gallows humourists have pointed out, the main choice facing voters is between a climate derider who promises to axe the tax and get pipelines built, and 'climate leaders' who've already done both. It makes for a good, bleak, joke even if the election of Donald Trump should make us acutely wary of cynicism and blurring the difference between political parties. The campaign was infuriating not just for the mayors but for climate-concerned voters at large. The leaders' debates were a prime example. Just as the mayors must have hoped, organizers scheduled a whole segment on the topic. But it came a full hour into the proceedings and the moderator's intro summed up the tortured state of climate debate in the country. 'Energy and climate change,' Steve Paikin announced. And then, to the dismay of anyone anticipating some focus on the climate itself: 'I know how much all of you love talking about pipelines, so here we go…' The world has hit several concerning environmental milestones in recent years. And yet, during this federal campaign, we haven't heard nearly enough about how our leaders will actually address a climate in crisis, writes Chris Hatch. It's not as if the climate hasn't been shouldering itself into the frame. Mother Nature has been throwing sharp elbows this month. We might, for example, have posed a question about the figure 25 per cent — not, in this case, a reference to the latest Trumpian tariffs but the unprecedented leap in carbon pollution thickening the heat-trapping blanket around the Earth. Twenty-five per cent is a big enough number to strike fear among auto workers and other Canadians. It had the same effect on those climate scientists who still have jobs at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere grew at the fastest rate in recorded history last year, they reported. The annual spew into the sky was up 25 per cent from the year before. It means carbon dioxide concentrations are now at a level not seen in at least three million years — back when giant camels roamed the high Arctic, the Greenland ice sheet was non-existent and coastlines were kilometres inland from their current locations. Enough to warrant a wee question in a two-hour debate with a section purportedly about climate change, one might think. And, hold on, all you party leaders, a follow-up, please: It's bad enough if the CO2 growth rate speeds up, but this past year was 'next-level high,' say experts like Glen Peters, a carbon cycle expert at the CICERO Center for International Climate Research in Norway. 'So it raises that concern of 'why is it much higher than expected?'' Fossil fuels are a prime culprit, of course, and carbon pollution from oil, gas and coal did hit an all-time high last year. But only an increase of about 0.8 percent year-on-year — nowhere near enough to explain the drastic increase in greenhouse gas levels. Something else is contributing as well. 'The likely implication is that the land sink was considerably weaker,' says Peters. The land and oceans have been absorbing about half the greenhouse gases from human activity, so far. But an analysis published this month by Peters and colleagues suggests that nature hasn't been able to keep up as we pushed temperatures to the hottest levels on record. 'The obvious question is, are we on the cusp of a tipping point in natural ecosystems?' said Rob Jackson, a climate scientist at Stanford University. 'I don't think one year's rise answers that question, so I'm not saying we are, but that's the question on my mind.' No comment from Messrs. Poilievre, Carney or Singh. Maybe a more mind-stopping number is required. How about 84 per cent? That's the proportion of the world's coral reefs hit by the latest, ongoing, global bleaching event. Prolonged ocean heat makes corals expel the colourful algae that live with them, a symbiotic relationship that's also the source of the psychedelic underwater colour show. A bleaching event leaves a skeletal reefscape, devoid of teeming marine life. Parted from their colourful partners for too long, the corals die. 'We're looking at something that's completely changing the face of our planet and the ability of our oceans to sustain lives and livelihoods,' said Mark Eakin, executive secretary for the International Coral Reef Society. Eighty-four percent is uncomfortably close to 'all of them.' And it's a stark reminder of the forecasts by the IPCC's Special Report on Global Warming of 1.5 C. Back in 2018, at the behest of the world's most vulnerable nations, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change summarized what's known about the difference between 1.5 and 2 C of heating. Among its many forecasts about heat was a particularly chilling one about coral reefs: upwards of 70 per cent are at risk beyond 1.5 C 'with 99 per cent of corals being lost under warming of 2 C or more above the pre-industrial period.' This most recent global bleaching event began in 2023 as temperatures jumped. It's not clear when it will end, but it has already been so severe that NOAA's Coral Reef Watch program had to add three new threat levels to its alert scale. It's the fourth worldwide bleaching event. Those 84 per cent of reefs exposed to bleaching are a major jump from the third, which occurred from 2014 to 2017, and affected 68 per cent of reefs. And the trend is clear if we track backward in time; the second impacted 37 per cent of reefs in 2010 and the first saw 21 per cent of them suffer bleaching, back in 1998. Coral reefs are sometimes called the rainforests of the sea — mainly because we're such landlubbers, but the analogy does hold — they support somewhere between a quarter to a third of the planet's marine species, along with millions of our own, who depend on them for food and livelihoods. This ongoing bleaching event has hit reefs across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Some have been bleaching even more frequently, including the world's biggest, the famed Great Barrier Reef. Last week, the Marine Park Authority in Australia declared a sixth widespread bleaching event in the last nine years. There's something about the bleaching of coral reefs that cuts deeply into the psyche. It's probably one reason we prefer to look away. It's also fair to say that coral reefs are a distant concern for Canadian politics. They would make for a novel debate topic during a Canadian election, but that 84 per cent figure does focus the mind. And there are so many other numbers and stories that might have contextualized all that pipeline talk. The loss of 1.3 million square kilometres of Arctic winter ice, perhaps. Or the testimony from a mayor hoping to rebuild a town. 'We can't keep watching our homes, towns and forests burn to a crisp, and pretend the status quo is working or safe. We can't adapt our way out of this problem,' the mayors said in their joint appeal to the federal leaders. 'Let's be honest: new pipelines require massive public handouts, trample on Indigenous sovereignty and mean more climate disasters hitting our cities and towns in years to come.' That sounds remarkably similar to the exhortations from scientists studying the coral reefs. Whether it's the loss of tropical reefs or ice, towns or forests, it all comes back to the burning of oil, gas and coal. 'The best way to protect coral reefs is to address the root cause of climate change. And that means reducing the human emissions that are mostly from burning of fossil fuels,' said Eakin, the reef scientist. 'Everything else is looking more like a Band-Aid rather than a solution.'
CBC
05-04-2025
- Business
- CBC
Jasper preps for slower summer tourism, as it continues recovery from 2024 wildfire
Social Sharing Every summer for 61 years, tourists have piled onto Jasper's SkyTram to see the boomerang-shaped town nestled inside the sprawling Rocky Mountains. It'll happen again this summer, but the view will be different. The red cable cars will skim over thousands of trees poking up from the ground like charred matchsticks. From the top, a third of the town's structures have vanished from sight. It doesn't change that Jasper is still open for business, and that's what matters as the town prepares for its first summer since a runaway wildfire ripped through it last July. "There are certainly positive signs, but we won't be back to 100 per cent — that is clear," said Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland. The winter has been sleepier than normal, and the tourist-reliant town needs visitors this summer. Fewer restaurants have been open, though many more will restart as the snow melts, said one business owner. Between campsite closures and several hotels that were destroyed in the fire, less space for tourists will likely result in a 20 per cent decline in business revenue, the Jasper Chamber of Commerce recently told town council. The community is nevertheless inviting tourists to visit. Whether to hone that message was a sensitive debate last fall, as grieving locals worried tourists would come to gawk at the damage. "There's less and less of a balance required," said Ireland, the only mayor Jasper has known since it became a municipality in 2001. "People have now had eight months to come to terms with their individual losses." Some business owners expect revenues to drop in line with fewer visitors. "Jasper needs tourists more than ever," said Stavro Korogonas, owner of Jasper Pizza Place. Korogonas lost his home in the fire and has been living in Kelowna, B.C., since last August, visiting Jasper about twice a month for his business. He and his wife plan to move back when an interim housing unit becomes available for them. The past few months have been challenging for locals, he said. The initial excitement of returning has worn off, and the emotional toll of the destruction has cast a pall over the town. Many said they avoid travelling into the destroyed Cabin Creek neighbourhood. "No one I've talked to has a success story," Korogonas said. "We have so many people just in my close friend group who we know have spent their last day living in Jasper." No lost homes have been rebuilt to date, though interim housing units were trucked into the town in February. Empty foundations that smouldered for more than a week after the fire have been filled with dirt. The charred shells of a few structures, including an almost 100-year-old Anglican Church, have yet to be demolished. And while a third of the town's structures were decimated by the fire, large parts of Jasper remain intact. Most of the town's commercial strip wasn't impacted and the residential neighbourhood on the east side of town was also untouched. Around the townsite, evidence of Mother Nature's wrath is unmistakable. Roadsides have been cleared so dead trees don't fall onto the highway, leaving rows of downed blackened forest criss-crossed in piles for about 30 kilometres south along the Icefields Parkway. Other trees still standing have been stripped bare. The mayor said several campsites and trails are set to reopen, but a formal list hasn't been released. Parks Canada did not make officials available for an interview. Jasper is not the first municipality to be devastated by wildfire. A 2016 fire that ripped through Fort McMurray, Alta., destroyed about 2,400 homes, far more than the 318 structures lost in Jasper. But the Jasper fire was the first in a tourism-reliant community. WATCH | Is rural Alberta ready for wildfire season? Is rural Alberta ready for wildfire season? 19 days ago Duration 1:25 Rural Municipalities of Alberta has shared recommendations in a report from a new wildfire working group. The report outlines what's needed from higher levels of government to help face growing wildfire threats. Kara Westerlund, president of the RMA, joined CBC's Edmonton AM to discuss what the report recommends as the 2025 wildfire season begins. There's a prevailing attitude that the carnage can teach lessons to visitors on the impacts of climate change, how forests regenerate through wildfire and how towns can prepare. "You can still look and see how beautiful it was, but there's that stark reality right next door," said Paulette Dube, a local writer and retired teacher. In the fall, she started a project with the local library, compiling art and writing from Jasperites processing the destruction. "Everything is black and gone and scorched. This is actually, I think, a really good time to come and see this, because you can do that comparison and you can be on the ground floor of Jasper rebuilding herself." Ireland similarly said the landscape can provide a "learning opportunity" for visitors. "I think there will be tour groups now that use that change in the landscape to educate those tourists who are interested in learning about wildfire on the landscape. Not necessarily the benefit we were looking for, but an opportunity for certain." While visitors can avoid seeing the urban destruction, views of the charred forest surround the town from all sides. "Honest to God, look up, because the mountains are still there. Turn your head and look at the other side — there's still trees," Dube said. "But it's really good to have that reminder that we are not the gods. We are not the kings of this place. We're just sort of scurrying around at the foot of these giants, and they're the ones who decide whether there's going to be fire or not."
CBC
04-04-2025
- General
- CBC
Jasper calls on province to help seniors displaced by wildfire
The Pine Grove Senior Citizens Manor was among the 358 structures incinerated when a massive wildfire breached the Jasper townsite last July. Now, Jasper is advocating for the province rebuild the building with more units and a new seniors centre. Jasper council put forward a motion on Tuesday to reach out to the province to secure further accommodations for Pine Grove residents who still have not been able to come back to Jasper because of lack of housing. "As the demographics of Jasper and the country are aging. The baby boomer generation is all entering into their senior years. This is very critical," Coun. Kathleen Waxer, who voted in favour of the motion, told council. "Loneliness and isolation is one of the most worrisome and one of the most damaging aspects of aging." Mayor Richard Ireland's motion will have him write a letter on behalf of council, requesting that the province include additional living units for seniors and including a seniors' centre space in the plans for the rebuild of Pine Grove Manor. That motion passed unanimously. "We encourage the provincial government to add more living units for seniors, as well as the senior centre. Our entire community will be strengthened [and] see the benefit from that," Ireland said. After the wildfire, up to 33 residents were temporarily living in a hotel in Hinton, east of Jasper National Park. Some have also been staying in Edmonton and Wetaskiwin. Seniors who lived in the lodge were told they face a two- to three-year wait for their home to be rebuilt. The Ministry of Seniors, Community and Social Services told CBC in a statement that the province is dedicating $18 million for interim housing in Hinton for Pine Grove Manor residents while the facility is rebuilt in Jasper. Funding includes $4 million for 2024-25 and $14 million in 2025-26. "We are currently focused on planning for the rebuild and determining what the new facility will look like, with $2 million in funding from budget 2025," said ministry press secretary Ashley Stevenson. "We plan to engage with the seniors and the community to ensure the new facility meets residents needs, including looking at increasing the Manor's capacity and whether designs could include additional social spaces."
CBC
06-03-2025
- Business
- CBC
Federal, Alberta governments offer more aid to fire-ravaged Jasper
Social Sharing The federal and Alberta governments are ushering in new support for Jasper as the mountain town continues to rebuild from last summer's devastating wildfires. The federal government says $2 million will be spent on a pop-up village for 11 local businesses and a storage workspace for construction materials inside the town's small boundary. Meanwhile, the Alberta government is proposing $3 million in support to help stabilize Jasper's revenues, adding to the $3 million it has already provided to cover property tax losses. The town will be hit over the coming years by a major drop in revenue from local property taxes. About eight months after the fires ripped through the townsite, Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said some locals will start laying new foundations when the frost thaws. "Potentially in May, perhaps, we will see the rebuilding start in earnest," said Ireland, who lost his home in the fire. Part of the federal government's announcement included a formal land transfer that will allow Jasper to build 40 units of affordable housing. With the rebuild still in its early days, Ireland said U.S.-imposed tariffs on Canadian goods are an "imponderable" factor in how quickly the tourist town can rebuild. The sweeping tariffs, which are on pause until April, will target key homebuilding materials such as steel. But a surge in patriotism could lead to large numbers of people flocking to Jasper this summer as an increasing number of Canadians choose to travel domestically, he said. WATCH | What Jasper's interim housing looks like: What Jasper's new interim housing neighbourhoods are like 5 days ago Duration 4:10 Jasper, Alta., residents, who were displaced by a wildfire that destroyed one-third of the town's buildings in July, are finally getting to move into new interim housing neighborhoods. In a CBC exclusive, reporter Acton Clarkin gets an inside look at the makeshift communities. "I'm hopeful that those people will come and visit us," Ireland said. Since trading barbs earlier this year, the Alberta and the federal governments are showing signs that their relationship is healing. In January, the province said it wouldn't spend the $112 million it had offered to Jasper because the town's wishes for high-density housing went against the province's desire to have the money spent on building single-family homes. Alberta also accused the federal government of being missing from the recovery process after former Liberal cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault left his role as ministerial lead. It came on the heels of a controversy over his business dealings. In Edmonton, Municipal Affairs Minister Ric McIver said Thursday the province's relationship with the federal government has drastically improved since federal Sport Minister Terry Duguid took over. "Funny thing happens when you put somebody in charge: good things happen. So for a long time, frankly, we complained about the federal government being missing in action in Jasper," McIver said. "But I gotta say, since Minister Duguid's been given the responsibility of trying to support Jasper, he's showing up to work." Speaking from Jasper, Duguid said their relationship has been "very cordial," calling McIver "a straight shooter." "I like his approach," Duguid said.
