Residents with damaged homes must obtain residential demolition and debris removal permits or authorize a third party to do so on their behalf
Jasperites who lost their homes in the July wildfire are being encouraged to participate in the community’s mass debris removal process being facilitated by local authorities.
Local officials have released important information when it comes to the impending debris removal in fire-damaged residential areas and sites around the Jasper townsite.
At a press conference on Friday, September 29, representatives from the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC), the Insurance Bureau of Canada (IBC) and EllisDon—the prime contractor hired to lead the debris removal—provided an update on the complex, behind-the-scenes planning work that JRCC personnel have been engaged in during the early stages of Jasper’s phased rebuilding process.
Coordination = cost effectiveness
The key message officials relayed on Friday was to urge property owners and leaseholders to consider carefully their participation in a coordinated debris removal effort, rather than attempt to navigate the multi-layered process individually.
This process involves collaboration between contractors, insurance companies, government agencies, and the local community, with a focus on safety, efficiency, environmental and code compliance, and community recovery, the JRCC has said.
“Collective experience of communities such as Slave Lake and Fort McMurray shows that a coordinated debris removal delivers efficiencies and cost savings to those insured,” said Mario Fiorino, Director of Legal and Assistant General Counsel at the IBC.
For homeowners, that means working with their insurance companies to determine if they are participating in the bulk permitting process for the removal of debris.
Robie Gourd, Parks Canada director for the JRCC, told residents and business owners who lost structures in the July 24 wildfire that Parks Canada is using a single stage permitting process to authorize a contractor or insurance company to act on leaseholders’ behalf.
Gourd said those who require debris removal will have to authorize a third party for the demolition of their fire-damaged property and removal of the debris. Participating in this optional process will help both individual households and the wider community recover as fast as possible, Gourd said.
The Rebuilding Jasper portal on Jasper National Park’s website outlines the necessary forms to fill out for leaseholders requiring debris removal.
Massive amount of debris, massive amount of interest in tender
The IBC is steering the efforts of a myriad of participating insurance companies, all collectively partnering with EllisDon—a national construction and project management firm who have experience in disaster recovery, Fiorino said.
EllisDon was selected as the project manager “with respect to their capacity, network with regard to subcontractors, and for their ability to execute the coordinated debris removal process,” Fiorino said.
An expression of interest for debris removal-related services garnered a “massive amount of inquires,” from which a competitive bid process was built. That tender has been released; the bid process will close this week. Planners expect to have pricing to communicate to the insurance companies by early October, according to the MOJ’s website.
Speculation acceleration
At Jasper’s September 24 municipal council meeting this week, Director of Recovery Michael Fark responded to councillors’ concerns and questions about the debris removal process.
Fark said a blanket-permitting process is being expedited by Parks Canada to allow for the debris removal on a large scale, and that all demolition and debris removal permits must meet requirements established under a recently-created, Parks Canada-approved, debris removal management plan.
“Anybody who is engaged in the debris removal has to follow the same debris removal process and management plan that EllisDon will have to follow,” Fark said.
Fark said he understands that an absence of information about the bulk debris process has fuelled some speculation and anxiety in the community.
“We are taking steps to address that as quickly as we can to allow residents to make an informed decision based on an actual understanding of costs,” Fark said.
When asked how costs of the debris removal will be borne out, Furino said that insurers, under the terms of their policies, will be responsible for debris removal costs.
Smaller sites/sites without basements will not be charged as much as complex or larger debris removal sites, he explained.
Potential solutions to keep costs down such as local concrete crushing, diverting waste to the Hinton landfill—which has daily limits on how much waste it can accept—and other efficiencies are being considered, Fark said.
The residential removal process is expected to start in October. Some debris removal on outlying commercial accommodations has already started.
The goal is to have the debris removal completed by the end of November, the JRCC has said.
Why not utilize rail?
The Jasper Local asked the JRCC why moving debris by rail is not a feasible option—Director Michael Fark had indicated as much during his report to council on September 24, but was short on details.
The short answer, according to JRCC communications staff, is that although it’s theoretically possible to use trains, it would likely introduce logistical, safety, and regulatory challenges that outweigh the benefits— especially for this specific operation focused on managing hazardous debris with tight controls.
Additionally, The Jasper Local has learned that using trucks for hauling debris from the demolition sites to the Hinton landfill or other authorized sites is part of a structured plan with specific controls and requirements in place, especially around hazardous materials containment, dust control, and regulatory compliance. Shifting from trucks to trains would introduce several considerations that could make the use of CN train cars challenging, according to the JRCC:
- Containment and Safety: The trucks in use are specially designed with containment covers to control the spread of hazardous materials (asbestos, metals, etc.). Trains would require specialized containment systems as well to ensure that no hazardous substances escape during transport. Rail cars typically aren’t equipped for this level of containment without significant modification.
- Logistical Flexibility: Trucks can access individual demolition sites directly and transport waste over short distances, making it easier to manage smaller loads and distribute waste to different disposal sites, like the Hinton landfill or other designated facilities. Using trains would likely require consolidating waste at a centralized rail loading location, adding a logistical layer that could complicate the operation and increase the handling of materials, which could elevate the risk of exposure.
- Cost Allocation and Tracking: With trucks, the contents of each load can be weighed and measured, making it possible to allocate costs back to the individual lots from which the debris originated. This process would be more difficult and less precise using trains, as consolidating waste from multiple lots into a single rail car would complicate the ability to accurately attribute costs to specific properties.
- Speed and Timeliness: Train schedules and the logistics of managing railway operations could introduce delays compared to the more flexible and immediate option of using trucks. Time-sensitive removal, especially for hazardous materials that require quick and secure containment, may be more efficiently handled by trucks.
- Environmental Impact: While trains can be more environmentally efficient over long distances, they may not offer significant environmental benefits for the shorter distances involved in this project. Additionally, trucks are already following strict regulations for environmental protection, such as avoiding the release of dust or contaminated materials during transit.
Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com
