Jasper council hears providing temporary housing for those who lost home to wildfire not possible

Town council in Jasper has heard it won’t be possible to secure temporary housing for everyone who lost homes in a devastating wildfire earlier this year.

The municipality estimates roughly 2,000 of the town’s 5,000 residents have nowhere to live, as more than 800 housing units were destroyed in the July fire.

Andy Esarte, the engineering manager for Canmore, who is temporarily working on the Jasper recovery, says it’s an unrealistic goal to secure housing for everyone in need.

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He says the Joint Recovery Co-ordination Centre has been focused on securing housing for those deemed essential workers, such as hospital staff, but further options are being assessed for other key workers like teachers ahead of schools reopening next week.

Coun. Wendy Hall says while she understands why the focus has been on finding housing for essential workers, she’s worried some residents are falling through the cracks.

Council heard the town’s outreach services department helped more than 20 families with housing issues on Monday, the day the department reopened.

2:50 Parks Canada aerial footage shows Jasper wildfire damage

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