Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Alberta on Monday to visit the Jasper wildfire command centre.
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He and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith were briefed on the wildfire response in the morning by leaders at the unified command unit in Hinton, about 80 kilometres east of the Jasper townsite and 280 kilometres west of Edmonton.
Trudeau also met with fire crews and evacuees.
He did not take questions from media afterward.
Speaking to reporters later, Smith said, “I want him to see that unified command works and that he should trust as a partner to be able to assist in that.”
She says she asked the federal government to consider providing an emergency wage subsidy, suspend business lease payments, and help fund land planning to speed up the redevelopment process in Jasper.
She also said there could be a need to support businesses that won’t be eligible for insurance because they did not experience property loss.
“Overall, I think we had a productive conversation today and I look forward to building on this with discussions in the near future on how we can collaborate further,” the premier told reporters during the virtual daily provincial wildfire update.
Jasper resident tours begin
Jasper resident tours begin
Also on Monday, 62 Jasper residents were taken by bus into the townsite to see the damage caused by wildfire on July 24. About one third of the town located in Jasper National Park was burned down that evening.
Monday was the first chance residents had to see the destruction in person, as tours originally scheduled for Sunday were postponed after a firefighter died the day before, although fire behaviour could have meant they were cancelled on Sunday anyway.
“I think some people want the closure,” commented Jasper’s incident commander Christine Nadon.
Others aren’t ready yet.
Evacuee Nancy Robbins told CTV News Edmonton, “We’d rather see the community privately on our own when we’re able to.”
In total, 563 people had signed up for a tour as Monday morning. Those who lost homes were given priority access.
One of the tour buses on Monday left from Edmonton, while the other two from Hinton. A bus from Valemount is scheduled to tour the town on Wednesday.
No one is allowed off the bus for safety reasons, although authorities say all dangerous areas in town have been fenced off.
Counsellors are also on the bus to provide support.
Business owners have also been allowed to enter the town with insurance adjustors and an escort, Smith said.
“There’s a real sense of: let’s get on with this; let’s get on with rebuilding,” Smith recalled from her conversations with Jasper business owners.
“There’s a lot of real hope, especially since the main infrastructure in the town is still standing… I think that’s given a lot of people reason to believe there’s a good base to start on for rebuilding.”
Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis said all emergency services – police, 911 and dispatch – have all been restored, as well as power to downtown, the hospital and water treatment plant.
While he was in Alberta, Trudeau did not go to Jasper to see the wildfire damage. Parks Canada said the decision was made out of respect of those grieving the death of the firefighter and the evacuees who were scheduled for a tour.
Wildfire update
Wildfire update
The Jasper Wildfire Complex is about 34,000 hectares big.
Many parts of the province received rain over Sunday night and were seeing cooler temperatures and higher humidity on Monday, meaning no significant growth on any wildfires, Alberta Wildfire’s Christie Tucker said.
Likewise, the weather aided firefighters conducting suppression work on the Jasper complex, Parks Canada said.
In total, there are 119 wildfires burning in Alberta’s protected forests, 15 of which are out of control.
With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti
