Temporary housing applications are open as services slowly come back online A month after a wildfire ravaged the townsite of Jasper, the community and the arteries that help sustain it are being brought back to life. As of yesterday (Friday, August 23), Highway 93N from the Columbia Icefields Area h...

“Worker Bee” Jordan raised the question during the Town Hall sessions: “Is there a local job board?” Yes, there is! The Jasper Local is pleased to introduce Local Jobs to support both volunteer and paid positions. Posting a job or volunteer position is fast, free and easy. Here is a quick guide to u...

A short section of the Icefields Parkway (Hwy 93N) is all clear after a mudslide came down from Mount Murchison near Mistaya Canyon, in Banff National Park. The mudslide was reported late Friday night (August 16), according to Parks Canada. It was cleared by Saturday evening. The Icefield Centre, Mi...

On the day of a fallen firefighter’s memorial, the Jasper Wildfire Complex has been downgraded from “out of control” to “being held.” On August 17, as the family and friends of Morgan Kitchen gathered to celebrate the life of the 24-year-old firefighter who died in the line of duty, a significant mi...

As questions arise about the townsite re-entry process, community leaders are assuring Jasperites that their concerns about privacy and security are not falling on deaf ears. On Monday morning, messaging from the Incident Management Team indicated that the scheduled re-entry date of Friday, August 1...

For the most up-to-date information on the wildfire and for information and resources for evacuees, visit the Municipality of Jasper’s  website  and the social media channels of the  MOJ  and  Jasper National Park . Friday, August 16 will mark the start of Jasper’s re-entry phase. On that day, Incid...

Critical details of the staged re-entry into the Jasper townsite for residents will be available on Monday, August 12. Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland made the announcement on Saturday at an 11 a.m. (MST) media briefing. “My hope is that the knowledge of the pending announcement will provide a bridge a...

It took me some time to wake up out of the shock of the fire, to come out of a numbness. Slowly, I began to connect to survivor’s guilt: the guilt one feels for surviving an event that others did not. Survivor’s guilt can present very much like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) , with similar sy...

While some animals will die in a fire, most do not. To varying degrees, species have adapted to fires. Biologist and Jasper Local contributor Mark Bradley explains. The Power of the Burn I can’t help but get emotional when I see social media posts about Jasperites who have lost their homes, the hero...

Fire “close to being held” around townsite; emergency services beginning to come on-line As critical retail and emergency services in the fire-ravaged community of Jasper take initial steps to restart, fire fighters working the Jasper Wildfire Complex are feeling increasingly confident that the wild...

Re: Save the hot air: Decades of wildfire preparation was a success, not a failure (Editorial, July 29, 2024) Dear Bob, Hang in there and don’t let the gasbags get you down. The same thing happens in the American West after a major wildfire. The Monday morning quarterbacks distort and over-simplify....

Increased fire behaviour forces closure of highway, timeline for re-entry still unavailable A wildfire that ravaged the townsite of Jasper continues to burn out of control and recent hot, dry conditions have created more challenges for firefighters actioning the massive blaze. The increased fire beh...

It’s been nine days since the largest wildfire in Jasper National Park’s recorded history started by lightning in extreme conditions. It’s been exactly a week since that fire blew up into an unstoppable inferno and 4,700 residents and another 20,000 or so visitors were forced to flee , in the middle...

For the most up-to-date information on the wildfire and for information and resources for evacuees, visit the Municipality of Jasper's website and the social media channels of the MOJ and Jasper National Park . Jasperites are feeling a mixture of devastation and relief as recent images of their belo...

A Fort McMurray resident sent this dispatch to Jasperites trying to figure out next steps ​ Dear Jasper: I’m so sorry for your losses. It is very, very difficult. Here are some thoughts that might be helpful at some point…… This is an emotional process. Give yourself room to cry, get upset, feel ove...

The community of Jasper has been forever changed after a massive wildfire spread into the townsite yesterday afternoon (July 24).  Structural firefighters continue to work to protect homes and buildings in Jasper but significant losses have occurred, including multiple homes and businesses, official...

Jasperites have always known in the back of their minds that, as far as natural disasters go, when it comes to our biggest threat, wildfire is at the top of the list. We live in the middle of the Canadian boreal forest, at the confluence of three valleys, all choked, over the last decade, with beetl...

Wildfire personnel continue to fight two aggressive fires burning near the Jasper townsite. High winds and continued hot, dry weather in the last 24 hours have pushed a 10,000 hectare wildfire burning south of the Jasper townsite closer to town but fire specialists are hopeful a turn in the weather ...

As a massive wildfire roars up the Athabasca River Valley, an evacuated community waits on fire officials—and the weather—to turn the tide  “One of Canada’s most iconic natural landscapes is on fire,” Jasper National Park Superintendent Alan Fehr said on July 23 at a 1 p.m. press briefing. Sixteen h...

Despite complicated logistics of evacuating seniors, backcountry hikers and thousands of campers, process was "safe and orderly," according to Mayor Thousands of visitors and residents were evacuated from Jasper National Park and the townsite late Monday night (July 22) after a dynamic wildfire situ...