Alberta's social services minister says $112 million earmarked for 250 new permanent homes in Jasper, Alta., is off the table if Parks Canada and the local government continue to pursue different approaches to rebuilding the city after the wildfires.
Promised funding from the Alberta government now hangs in the balance as the mountain city argues the multi-unit buildings are needed to help the city's long-standing housing shortage. The province is required to use the funds to build detached, single-family homes.
“If we don't have a project that meets those needs, this money can't be spent,” Jason Nixon, Alberta's senior, community and social services minister, told reporters Tuesday.
With more than 600 Jasper families without homes, competing visions on how the fire-ravaged town will move forward have led to a standoff between the province and the municipality, which is working with Parks Canada on rebuilding.
Given the limited space for construction, Jasper officials said only 60 of the 250 homes promised under the provincial plan could be built.
The municipality intends to pursue short-term housing while developing permanent high-density units. This is a process that takes 18 to 24 months.
These houses are in addition to the insurable houses that will be rebuilt in the coming years.
See | Jasper's interim accommodation has not yet been delivered:
After summer wildfires destroyed more than 800 homes in Jasper, Alta., the provincial and federal governments promised displaced residents temporary housing until now. But no government has delivered it home. CBC's Acton Clarkin breaks down the delay.
Speaking to reporters earlier in the day, Jasper's director of recovery said the community is “in a period of uncertainty” over whether the provincial government will cover the service costs of the transitional housing units. He expects those costs to be between $5 million and $7 million.
“The municipality does not have the financial resources to be able to absorb that level of cost, and so we will continue to work with our partners in the provincial and federal government to find solutions to ensure that those service costs are paid,” said Michael Fark, director of the Jasper Recovery Coordination Center.
Furke said the city has a choice between fewer people in comfortable housing or more families in “less desirable temporary units.”
“We understand that this is a trade-off and not ideal.”
Nixon declined to say whether the money would be redirected to other areas of Jasper's recovery.
He said, 'If we don't complete this project, it will not be utilized, but there are other areas that need to be invested in the budget of other ministers.
“We have already invested hundreds of millions in Jasper's recovery. The province is prepared to continue to do so.”
Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Nixon's comments, but earlier Tuesday he spoke at a news conference about the community's recovery.
“Interim housing is critical to the future of our residents, our businesses, our local visitor economy and our small mountain community,” said Ireland, who said the community “needs to act quickly and quickly.” To effectively support those who call Jasper home.”
Alberta is helping to replace senior facilities lost in the fire and put temporary facilities in nearby Hinton for seniors — work will continue, Nixon said.
Jasper National Park is prohibited from building outside its tightly controlled city limits. A bill would need to be passed in parliament to change that boundary, limiting where new housing can be built. Jasper has long experienced a zero percent vacancy rate.
In a statement, a Parks Canada spokesperson said the organization is committed to working with all levels of government to “advance interim housing options for Jasper National Park.”
“This includes providing land, procuring a range of housing options and removing barriers so that residents have somewhere to live during the recovery,” the statement said.
The spokesperson added that Parks Canada is committed to providing as much land as possible to support immediate interim housing needs for Jasper, including land within and outside the city limits.
But the statement also said, “Changing city limits will not provide places for people to live now. As with any municipality, it will take a long time to distribute municipal infrastructure outside the city limits.”
