The Municipality of Jasper will spend an additional $7.63 million repairing infrastructure that was damaged from response and recovery activities during the Jasper wildfire.
On Tuesday (May 19), council amended its capital budget to include the repairs, which will also involve replacing aging infrastructure. Council previously approved spending $2 million to replace curb stop valves in the Cabin Creek, Lodgepole and Miette neighbourhoods.
Councillor Wendy Hall said municipalities around Alberta and British Columbia are facing infrastructure pressures. She cited an incident last week where a water main break in Kamloops left thousands without drinking water.
“This is the time to do [infrastructure repairs], while the roads are open and rebuilding is underway so we can avoid paying a lot more in the future,” Hall said.
This round of work focuses on the 700 block of Connaught Drive; the 700, 800 and 900 blocks of Patricia Street; and the 800 block of Geikie Street.
Because the project involves refurbishing aging infrastructure that could fail if components are replaced or reconnected, disaster funding will only cover a portion of the work. The Municipality will have to borrow an unspecified amount and draw from reserves to fund the remainder.
During last week’s committee of the whole meeting, CAO Bill Given said administration expects the cost to come significantly under the estimated amount and the Province to fund a “meaningful and material amount.”
Once the actual project costs and the provincial contribution are confirmed, staff will present a borrowing bylaw to council.
Water services bylaw
Council has officially revised a bylaw that regulates water services to align with provincial and national standards and addresses operational gaps.
The new bylaw, which received third and final reading on Tuesday, imposes a bleeder flow limit of one litre per minute. Anything higher will be charged to the consumer.
The bylaw also allows the Municipality to adjust bills based on meter testing or verification results. If a meter is found inaccurate by more than three per cent, the MOJ can adjust the most recent billing period of two months—but not further back.
Council previously amended the bylaw to clarify that a service termination notice would be given to a consumer, such as a tenant, and not necessarily just the building owner. The amendment also specifies what standard is used for determining the frost penetration depth when installing water services.
Housing reserve transfer
Council allocated $876,185 of insurance proceeds to reserves. The proceeds relate to a municipal housing asset at 1251 Cabin Creek Drive that was destroyed in the 2024 Jasper wildfire.
This property was insured under the Municipality’s insurance program. Following the claims process, the Municipality received $890,985 in proceeds and spent $14,800 in 2025.
The remaining money will specifically go to the fixed asset reserve fund, which is meant to support future large-scale projects, such as municipal buildings.
Peter Shokeir, Local Journalism Initiative // info@thejasperlocal.com
