Parks Canada says it's able to fight the Jasper wildfire while continuing its piecemeal approach toward reopening the national park.
Jane Park, incident commander with Parks Canada, explained during a media briefing on Friday (Aug. 23) that the balance between reopening and the wildfire response was being evaluated on an ongoing basis.
“Basically, on a daily basis, we are in conversations between the wildfire operations and the local field unit staff, and we continue to balance the needs of the wildfire with the needs to provide services to any of the facilities or the roads that are reopened,” Park said.
“At the moment, we have the resources that we need to action the wildfire while supporting the field unit with the reopening of [Highway] 93 North and Highway 16.”
The Icefields Parkway, also known as Highway 93N, is the latest area of Jasper National Park to reopen, although no stopping is allowed between the Athabasca Glacier and the townsite.
“Motorists must drive through the park without stopping,” Park said. “All rest areas and scenic lookouts require further hazard assessments and danger tree removal before people can safely exit their vehicles.”
Two areas of Jasper National Park tourists are allowed to visit are Miette Hot Springs and the Columbia Icefields. The only two open trails are Toe of the Glacier at Athabasca Glacier and Source of the Springs in the Miette area.
Earlier this week, a rescue at the Athabasca Glacier required a helicopter to be diverted from the wildfire response, and Parks Canada asked the public to take extra care when hiking the two open trails.
There will be no services or attractions from the Athabasca Glacier to Hinton to the east, and Valemount or McBride to the west.
Park clarified emergency services will be available on these stretches of road if needed.
Highway 16 is also open to through traffic only, and the townsite has reopened just for residents.
Parks Canada is working to open portions of Pyramid Bench where residents will be able to engage in recreational activities.
“We are looking at options to start creating more areas accessible to the public, including residents of Jasper,” said Ifan Thomas, acting superintendent of Jasper National Park.
“The Pyramid Bench is part of that work. We’re not ready to make announcements yet in terms of where that sits, but we anticipate in the coming days we should be able to communicate that publicly.”
Within the townsite, the Municipality of Jasper is in discussions with industry partners to determine how soon business can resume, but no timeline has been announced.
Michael Fark, director of recovery for the Municipality of Jasper, emphasized a state of local emergency remains in effect.
He noted a lack of housing, as well as health and safety concerns, continued to be challenges.
“Our message is we are certainly wanting to resume business and welcome the world back to Jasper,” Fark said. “We are asking that people be patient and work with us as we get the things in place that we need to have in order to ensure that they have a positive visitor experience.”
