Residents from the Town of Jasper could be returning to the community as soon as the end of this week.
According to an announcement the Incident Management Team is expecting to have all the Re-entry Criteria met by Friday, and the townsite will have minimum services to make it “safe for residents to return.”
The announcement reads, “We are working hard to ensure residents have a safe and timely return. The return date of August 16 is conditional on achieving and maintaining the re-entry criteria.”
If there is an increase in fire activity or unplanned changes to critical services this could impact the re-entry date.
“There are still many areas in the park that must be assessed for safety. Many risks remain in closed areas, such as ash pits, reduced air quality, hazardous trees and hazardous waste requiring containment. It will take more time for these areas to re-open.”
Mayor Richard Ireland issued a statement following the announcement, saying he understands while all have lost something because of the fires but for some, the loss is greater than others.
“We must strive to rise together. As we have been united in tragedy, we must return united in recovery. Just as we have recognized that in a community, loss for one is loss for all, let us approach our re-building and our recovery with equal inclusivity: where gains for some become gains for all; where social equity and community wellness are imbedded outcomes.”
At the end of July, the re-entry criteria was released by Parks Canada including wildfire not being an imminent threat to the townsite, hazards in the community being secured or mitigated and an approved re-entry plan in place. Other criteria originally released includes emergency services and critical services being restored, including utilities such as electricity, natural gas, water and wastewater while grocery stores, gas stations, banking and pharmacy locations need to be reopened.
Trails, campgrounds and day-use areas are not included in this phase of the re-entry process.
