Parks Canada says it hopes to have the majority of campsites at Jasper National Park ready for the next summer tourism season after this year’s devastating wildfires.
In July, a fire ripped through the popular tourist town destroying one-third of Jasper’s buildings and the homes of an estimated 2,000 residents before it was brought under control.
A Parks Canada official told Global News that work is underway to make sure both front-country and back-country camping sites are ready for the 2025 season.
“In the fire-affected area, Whistler’s campground survived the best … Wapiti and Wabasso (campgrounds) will definitely take a little more time before we’ll have those back on,” said Dylan Vebruggen.
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The federal agency’s workers have been busy removing dead trees and repairing campsite infrastructure like picnic tables and signage. Officials estimate a few thousand trees will need to be removed before the camping season begins.
Crews anticipate another busy season – even with the images of last year’s fires lingering in residents’ and tourists’ minds.
“Tourism is one of the most important economic drivers for Jasper. Without the campers, the town gets economically impacted and vice versa,” said Marco Espinosa-Alvarez, another official with Parks Canada.
The Jasper Park Chamber of Commerce is also hoping for a robust tourist season, underlining the importance that visitors play for the town and the park.
“Without them, it’s like contemplating what we would’ve experienced if the ski hill hadn’t opened. If the campground was not open, it’s almost more than I want to contemplate,” said Paul Butler with the chamber.
In October, the Alberta government announced it would build 250 modular housing units to provide shelter for those who lost their homes. It’s estimated it will cost the province $112 million and the units would be rented out at market rates.
And that’s just one small piece of the estimated $880 million in damages from the July fire, with the Insurance Bureau of Canada labeling it as the ninth-costliest natural disaster in Canadian history.
“The number of $880 million, this is for the damages to not only the destroyed homes, but the standing homes, the contents, additional living expenses, mass evacuation expenses, business interruption and also the personal and commercial vehicles that were damaged or destroyed,” Rob Dupree, the bureau’s national director, previously told Global News.
© 2024 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
