The status of interim housing for Jasper remains in flux, but discussions between the three levels of government are ongoing.
This is according to Michael Fark, municipal director of recovery, who spoke to council about interim housing during a progress update from the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC) on Tuesday (Jan. 7).
“What I can say on that front is that discussions are ongoing between municipal, provincial and federal governments to try to determine the best way forward for interim housing,” Fark said. “There has been some correspondence back and forth between the different levels of government, and we are waiting to hear the results of that correspondence in order to be able to have clarity on the way forward.”
Fark added he was unable to provide more details at this time.
Hundreds in Jasper are in need of housing after 820 residential units were destroyed during the summer wildfire.
Interim housing is meant to provide temporary housing relief while Jasper’s rebuild occurs, although officials hope this housing will become more permanent and help solve the town’s chronic housing shortage.
The Alberta government has promised 250 modular homes, with the first anticipated to start coming online in February. While the sites have been serviced, the province is still working to secure the land leases from Parks Canada.
In a Dec. 14 radio interview, Premier Danielle Smith said provincial officials were “very, very frustrated” with Parks Canada, asserting that the agency’s regulatory processes and refusal to extend the townsite’s boundary were keeping the province from putting up interim housing.
NDP leader Naheed Nenshi has criticized the UCP government for the “exceptionally slow” wildfire recovery efforts and specifically the lack of interim housing.
In addition, Parks Canada has issued a request for proposal for modular mobile units. Fark told council that due to challenges, the closing date has been pushed back from Sunday (Jan. 12) to Jan. 21.
The Fitzhugh has reached out to Parks Canada for comment.
Coun. Scott Wilson inquired about who would be first in line for interim housing, noting there would not be enough for everyone in need.
Fark replied priority will go to those who are providing essential services to residents, and other criteria are currently being discussed and finalized with the other levels of government.
“Much of that will depend on the final details of how much housing is provided and by whom and where,” he said. “Work has been done on a prioritization condition matrix. Unfortunately, it’s not finalized and therefore not able to be made public at this time.”
He added those who can secure their own interim housing are encouraged to do so.
