Banff mayor says Alberta premier's claims federal mismanagement putting Banff in danger of wildfire 'unsubstantiated'

BANFF – Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s statements that it is federal mismanagement that is putting Banff under threat of wildlife were quickly disputed by Banff Mayor Corrie DiManno as “completely unsubstantiated.”

Smith had a face-to-face meeting with Prime Minister Mark Carney in Edmonton Thursday morning (March 20) and came out of the meeting with several demands, including energy demands, but also took a swipe at Parks Canada’s management of fires.

“I made it clear that federal mismanagement of Jasper and Banff national parks resulted in last year’s tragic wildfire in Jasper and is endangering Banff, and the situation must be rectified immediately,” she said in a press release.

DiManno said Smith’s characterization of federal forest and land management in Banff National Park is  “completely unsubstantiated.”

“Our community has benefitted enormously from Parks Canada’s efforts in Banff National Park, working continuously over the last 40 years to protect residents, communities, and infrastructure from wildfire,” she said.

“In the last 20 years alone, they have thinned forests, created fireguards and conducted prescribed fires in over 15,000 hectares in Banff National Park. That’s 15,000 football fields of area treated around our town as well as into the valleys and peaks surrounding us.”

An out-of-control fire ravaged the community of Jasper on July 24, 2024, burning down homes, businesses and hotels. In all, one-third of the town’s buildings were destroyed and were burned 32,722 hectares of the park.

The fire forced the evacuation of about 25,000 residents and tourists.

DiManno said until the 1990s, land managers across Alberta and Canada put out all forest fires, adding this human intervention suppressed the natural cycle of wildfire and thinning of forests, creating artificially dense coniferous forests from Fort McMurray to Banff.

“But our philosophy changed across the country and as a result, we have spent the last three decades implementing a new approach to reduce the risk of wildfire, with thinning, logging firebreaks, and proscribed fires,” the mayor said.

“Parks Canada has been at the forefront of the new measures. Unfortunately, these efforts are challenged by the dramatic effects of climate change. Our summers are hotter and drier, and we have more extreme weather events, resulting in a longer season of persistent wildfire threat.”

The Banff Fire Department has collaborated with Parks Canada and Alberta Wildfire for years, integrating training and emergency response planning.

Parks Canada is working on a community-wide firebreak in Lake Louise and completed a landscape level firebreak near Protection Mountain. Work continues on an extensive firebreak on Tunnel Mountain and there are more plans in the works.

“We are working harder with Parks Canada on firebreaks outside the community,” DiManno said.

Going into this year’s wildfire season, DiManno said the Town of Banff has strengthened and enhanced its coordination with Parks Canada, Canmore, Lake Louise, the MD of Bighorn, as well as Alberta Wildfire and Alberta Parks.

“Of course, we can always do better – both in the measures on land around Banff and throughout the townsite,” she said.

“That’s why we have increased our investment in work to remove coniferous trees around the perimeter of town where neighbourhoods meet forests.”

During the late afternoon of July 22, 2024, a fire was reported near the Jasper transfer station.

Thirty minutes later, another wildfire was reported near Kerkeslin Campground. Ten minutes later, two more wildfires were reported near campgrounds south of Jasper.

Wind gusts of up to 30 kilometres an hour merged the three wildfires south of town into one and became too big for firefighters alone to handle.

Within the first hours after the wildfires started the combined area of the fires grew to more than 6,000 hectares.

With flames soaring 30-50 metres high, new fires starting up to 500 metres ahead of the fire, and enormous smoke columns, all aerial and ground suppression efforts had limited success.

For comment on the Smith's statement, Parks Canada forwarded the Outlook to the office of Stephen Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity whose portfolio includes Parks Canada. The Outlook heard nothing back at press time.