Jasper begins site servicing for interim housing

Interim housing for Jasper residents who lost their homes is one step closer to realization as contractors start servicing sites this week.

Michael Fark, municipal director of recovery, provided an update from the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC) at a Tuesday (Oct. 15) council meeting.

“We are still waiting for a formal announcement of what the interim housing program will look like from the GoA [Government of Alberta], but we are expecting that announcement will come shortly,” Fark said.

More than 800 Jasper residents had their homes destroyed during the Jasper wildfire in late July. Officials have since been busy getting interim housing ready before winter.

Interim housing will be located at the northeast end of town, along Connaught Drive adjacent to the future RCMP detachment and on a site called 2B just south of Highway 16.

Contractors will begin site servicing at the northeast corner and the RCMP site, which will take about four weeks. Fark said the 2B site required additional permitting before site servicing could proceed there.

“Parks Canada regulation requires a public consultation period for the use of public lands, and that is a 30-day notice period or window for collecting that public feedback,” he added. “So, specifically, because that land will be used for a purpose that [it] was not previously used [for], that is a requirement.”

The Alberta government is expected to procure the modulars. Fark said they were still unsure how many people could be housed in these units, but the target was 40 units per hectare of land.

“We are going to prioritize the site[s] within the municipal boundary first, and certainly those sites will be prioritized for larger units, two-bedroom units that will be suitable for families,” he added.

The municipality has received 580 unique housing applications. Fark said they would prioritize “essential workers” based on criteria that the municipality would build with its partners.

According to Fark’s presentation, all fire personnel, JRCC staff, essential municipal staff, health workers, education workers and vulnerable residents who need temporary accommodations are being housed in hotels or have found their own solutions.

There have been 148 hotel bookings for workers, including 122 in-house bookings and 26 future bookings.

Crews will begin demolishing damaged structures as permits are issued, and primary contractor EllisDon will work with the Insurance Bureau of Canada to implement the mass debris removal plan.

In order for demolition permits to be issued, EllisDon has sent leaseholder authorizations to insurance companies. So far, 42 per cent have been signed.

In addition, the Alberta government is allowing the JRCC to move into the second floor of the provincial building, and the Disaster Recovery Program funding has been approved with the first advance expected this week.

Last week, Maligne Road and backcountry camping reopened in Jasper National Park. Parks Canada is undertaking a hazard assessment for Maligne Canyon and a road safety review for Highway 93A and other roads.