As the Municipality of Jasper transitions away from contracting out its local transit service and toward owning its own fleet, it will no longer consider electric buses only.

On Tuesday (April 7), council amended its capital budget to reflect this new tack and directed administration to proceed with procurement.

“I think it’s really exciting that we’re moving towards procuring our own fleet,” said Coun. Wendy Hall. “I think it’s going to give us a lot more control and flexibility in how we deliver this service.”

The $2.25-million budget item would be covered by a $5-million federal grant, which also covered the cost of the transit fleet facility.

The grant agreement originally funded three zero-emission buses, but due to difficulties with procurement, administration requested a scope change, which the federal government approved.

CAO Bill Given said issuing a request for proposals will allow administration to test the market, assess what is available and come back with recommendations to council.

“In essence, this motion is about amending the budget to broaden the types of [buses] that can be considered and is not yet a motion to purchase any fleet,” he said.

The deadline to complete the project was also extended to March 31, 2027. Given said this would be enough time to procure the fleet.

Insurance deadline

The Municipality will work to ensure residents are aware of the looming deadline to file any insurance claims for wildfire damages.

Under the Alberta Insurance Act, policyholders have two years to file insurance claims after known losses occur—in this case, July 24, 2026, the two-year anniversary of the wildfire, although this deadline may vary between policyholders.

The Municipality reached out to provincial authorities and the Insurance Bureau of Canada but was told a blanket extension was not possible.

Coun. Laurie Rodger said while the Municipality cannot be responsible for contacting insurance companies on behalf of residents, he advocated that efforts be made to make it known to everyone that the deadline is coming up.

“Just by statistics, the number of people involved here, there is a very good chance that someone misses it,” Rodger said. “[But] I do not want anyone to think that the town is going to contact their insurer for them.”  

Council directed administration to undertake public awareness efforts about the upcoming deadline, how to meet the deadline and the potential consequences of missing it.

Recovery updates

Fifty-seven per cent of wildfire-affected leaseholders have begun the permitting process with Parks Canada, according to the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre (JRCC).

Of these properties, 85 are still in the application process, 32 have permits approved but haven’t poured foundations, 77 have construction underway, and 18 have achieved occupancy. No permits have been filed for 162 properties.

Doug Olthof, Jasper’s newly-appointed Directory of Recovery, said Parks Canada is seeing a steady increase in permit applications as the spring construction season approaches.

Parks Canada processed development permits applications in 19 business days, on average, over the last six months, provided they were complete and conforming. Olthof said Jasper was outperforming comparable municipalities in this area.

Interim housing

738 individuals are currently in the interim housing program, and residents have begun to move into units at the Patricia Circle and the United Church sites.

All interim housing units within the townsite remain fully occupied or allocated, with 161 applicant households having not yet received an offer. Olthof said 34 businesses have applied to house staff at Marmot Meadows dorms, and five offers have been made and accepted.

The JRCC is exploring additional funding to extend the duration of interim housing beyond its current end date of March 2027, Olthof added.

Other highlights

Council forgave slightly more than $21,700 owed by the Jasper Skatepark Committee for the new $1-million skatepark that opened last fall.

Council previously approved giving $300,000 toward the skatepark, on top of $627,500 in grant funding. In 2024, it authorized a loan up to $150,000 to address a funding shortfall, but this level of support wasn’t required since the project came in under budget by $73,000.

Natasha Malenchak, the MOJ’s Director of Finance and Administration, said the committee had initially requested $42,000 but managed to secure extra funding.

The $21,700 will be offset through reserves.

Council also ratified committee of the whole’s March 24 recommendation to give more than $32,600 in unsolicited donations to the Jasper Community Team Society’s Caring Community Fund.

The fund is dedicated to supporting Jasper’s long-term recovery following the 2024 wildfire. Mayor Richard Ireland previously said this cause fell in line with the intention of donors.

Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative // info@thejasperlocal.com