Former Slave Lake mayor discusses the emotional toll of the wildfire on Jasperites

August 16, 2024 Canuck

Former Slave Lake Mayor Dr. Karina Pillay joined CTV Morning Live’s Nicole Lampa on the importance of Jasper’s community coming together to rebuild.

Nicole Lampa: This heavy, emotional toll of re-entry and recovery will be shared by thousands of Jasperites. It’s going to be a long haul. You were the mayor in 2011 when that wildfire hit. What’s it like to see this happen in Jasper?

Dr. Karina Pillay: Well, I think it’s heart wrenching to see another community experience what Slave Lake did in 2011. It’s emotionally triggering for many of us as well to see their losses. It’s tough. Absolutely.

Nicole: Why is the community so important in the rebuild effort?

Dr. Pillay: I think Jasper has an incredibly strong sense of community, as well as Slave Lake did. I think bringing the community together is going to be critical for their recovery. I think many of them have deep roots in the community. Slave Lake was my hometown, and I know mayor Ireland, that’s his home community as well. So it’s really about the people of the community that’s going to recover and rebuild. They’re going to have to really lean on each other, support one another and look out for their physical and mental health as well.

Nicole: What is that emotional roller coaster ride going to look like going forward?

Dr. Pillay: They’re going to definitely have their ups and downs throughout it. There’s going to be times where you’re going to be exhausted to the core. There are going to be times where you’re going to be so grateful for the support. So many communities have already embraced many of the Jasper residents, and I know many of us stand with Jasper. This is beloved Jasper. It’s a national treasure. So we’re all going to be watching to make sure that they’re going to recover and rebuild. It’s going to be a roller coaster, as you said. I think what’s key is to take that time to focus on their mental and physical health. Make sure they contact external support outside of their community, because the whole community is going to be going through recovery, and often you don’t want to speak to someone who’s also experiencing the same burden as you are. So it’ll be important to have all those external supports available for the community.

Nicole: Let’s talk about those external mental health supports. Why is that so important?

Dr. Pillay: I think it’s just having someone from outside the community that you can speak to. Many in the community will also be experiencing the trauma of what’s occurred. You need that professional help and support to help guide you and give you that reassurance that you’re going to have the strength to move forward. That’s critical to have that backup because when you think about it, a third of your community has been impacted. That would include your health care professionals, firefighters, your business community. The entire community will be impacted. I know there’ll be many support agencies on the ground with them. I know Slave Lake had an army of people, and that’s going to definitely give them the strength.

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