The Government of Canada plans to streamline Jasper’s rebuild by transferring land-use planning and development from Parks Canada to the local municipal government.
The Liberal government introduced a bill on Wednesday (Sept. 18) proposing amendments to the Canada National Parks Act. It plans to ask for unanimous consent later this week.
“This puts those important decisions of the rebuild of Jasper squarely back into the hands where it belongs: in the community, with close support and collaboration from Parks Canada,” said Steven Guilbeault, minister of Environment and Climate Change and minister responsible for Parks Canada, at a Wednesday (Sept. 18) news conference.
Parks Canada has historically handled all land-use planning and development within the Jasper townsite. In recent years, residents and business owners have complained about the slow approval process and restrictions as well as a lack of democratic input.
Conversations about transferring this authority to the Municipality of Jasper have been in the works since 2022, but Guilbeault said this became a legislative priority following the wildfires.
Around 30 per cent of Jasper’s buildings, including over 800 residential units, were destroyed in the recent wildfires. This has left around 2,000 residents without homes.
As Jasper looks to rebuild, this transfer of authority is expected to fast-track permitting and remove red tape. The Town of Banff has similar authorities.
“By enabling the transfer of planning and development authorities to the municipality, it will make it possible to give the town of Jasper and businesses and residents more say to shape the future of the town,” Guilbeault said. “We're committed to remove any and all barriers that impede these efforts.”
Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland thanked the federal government for the “significant initiative” that will eventually allow the municipality to take on greater responsibilities in land-use planning and development.
“This is a tremendously significant step forward for Jasper, and it comes at an absolutely crucial time for our community,” Ireland said. “This summer's wildfires have severely tested our resilience, but now, with this legislative support, we are in a much stronger position to continue our work with Parks Canada to recover, rebuild and restore our beloved community and its surrounding natural and built environment.”
Ireland said the changes will allow Jasper’s future to be planned with more local input, ensuring that decisions reflect the needs of residents while preserving the unique character of the national park.
He cautioned that these amendments would just begin the process of transferring this authority to the municipality.
“We have been in long discussions with Parks Canada over a number of years to get to a point where we think we are very close to agreement on technical aspects, but we need this legislative change first, and hopefully that will come rapidly,” he added. “It cannot be quick enough from our perspective.”
