A series of all-day, in-person support sessions will help connect Jasperites to resources and experts in recovery.

On April 14-16, on top of available supports and regular office hours established in Jasper and Hinton, the Canadian Red Cross will have additional personnel in both communities to meet with individuals and families to discuss available services for anyone requiring post-wildfire rebuild support.

The in-person sessions are a chance for Jasperites to alleviate “decision fatigue” resulting from the myriad complexities of rebuilding, said Yvonne Raaymakers, Residential Construction Expert with the Canadian Red Cross.

“Residents do not need to navigate this alone,” Raaymakers said, noting the sessions are an opportunity to get clear, reliable information directly from experts.

Raaymakers, who has helped Canadians rebuild in other disaster-affected municipalities, understands that many Jasperites whose homes were destroyed are facing an overwhelming process involving multiple layers of decision-making—decisions that the average homeowner isn’t necessarily equipped to make.

“A lot of people just don’t even know where to start, or they have so much information, they’re unable to prioritize,” she said. “We can take on some of that decision-fatigue by helping to navigate the required documents and prioritizing what has to be done.”

Raaymakers said that in a rebuilding community, there will be numerous contractor options available to home owners. The Red Cross can help Jasperites cut through the noise, understand what they may or may not be signing up for, and make careful and critical examinations of who they’re engaging with. 

“We want to be able to provide tips and advice so people can choose their contractors with confidence,” she said. “By offering technical guidance, we can help alleviate some of their stress.”

The in-person support sessions will make subject matter experts available to Jasperites to help them make sense of their insurance policies, and offer unbiased answers to questions that policyholders may not feel comfortable asking their insurers. 

“Insurance policies can be mysterious for people, and there’s not always a clear understanding of what to ask, how to prompt certain actions and what’s supposed to happen on the other side,” said Emily Pietropaolo, Vice President of Recovery Services for the Canadian Red Cross.

The Canadian Red Cross has become familiar with Jasper’s unique jurisdictional landscape, Pietropaolo said. The fact that Jasper homeowners lease, rather than own, the land their homes are built upon, has different implications for different circumstances that rebuilding Jasperites find themselves in. Neighbours whose adjacent properties are vulnerable to slope erosion, for example, and which require extensive geotechnical assessment before rebuilding, have been helped along by the Red Cross.

“We’re working with the municipality and Parks Canada to help sort that out,” Raaymakers said. “That can get very expensive for leaseholders if they’re expected to pay for that themselves.”

At a higher level, the Canadian Red Cross advocates for Canadians impacted by disasters. That means understanding different barriers to recovery and helping evolve the entire disaster ecosystem to better serve future catastrophic events. Jasper is fertile ground for learning new lessons on what can be improved.

“Every disaster is unique and there are always lessons that can be learned.,” Pietropaolo said. “By working with builders, insurers and local recovery officials we’re able to develop best practices to bring to the wider Canadian context.”

Pietropaolo had high praise for Jasper’s recovery structure—led locally by the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre. 

“They’re doing amazing work,” she said. “We see communities of different sizes impacted by disasters so we don’t always get the same model that the JRCC has formulated and sustained.”

Pietropaolo said some common threads to successful recovery across North America include a high volume of coordination and communication, as well as taking a multifaceted approach.

“One of our recovery principles is to always be flexible and adaptable,” she said. 

Recovery Sessions Schedule

And that principle will guide the upcoming in-person support sessions taking place April 14-16 in Jasper and Hinton. The sessions in Jasper will take place at the Chateau Jasper (96 Geikie Street) under the following schedule:

Case management:

• Tuesday, April 14: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 15: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
• Thursday, April 16: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Insurance and construction experts:

• Tuesday, April 14: 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
• Wednesday, April 15: 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.
• Thursday, April 16: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Teams will also be at the Jasper Recovery Coordination Centre’s Rebuild and Recovery Support Sessions from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, April 14.

A Hinton session featuring case management, insurance and construction experts is scheduled at the BRIDGES Society (250 Hardisty Ave) on Wednesday, April 15 from 9 a.m. to noon

No appointments are required and people may stop by any time to discuss their recovery journey. 

See the Canadian Red Cross website for more details. 

Bob Covey // bob@thejasperlocal.com