OTTAWA – A new law will help expedite Jasper’s rebuild after 30 per cent of the townsite was destroyed in last summer’s wildfire.
First introduced by the Liberal government on Sept. 18, Bill C-76 proposed amendments to the Canada National Parks Act to enable the transfer of land-use planning and development authorities from Parks Canada to the Municipality of Jasper. The legislation received Royal Assent on Thursday (Oct. 3).
“The people of Jasper, devastated by wildfire, need every opportunity to rebuild quickly, effectively and with responsiveness to local needs and conditions,” said Senator Karen Sorensen, who sponsored the legislation, during the second reading on Tuesday (Oct. 1). “Bill C-76 is the next logical evolution between Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper.”
Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland advocated for the legislation at the Standing Senate Committee on Energy, the Environment and Natural Resources on Tuesday (Oct. 3).
“It allows us to manage and redevelop local spaces and places in a way that is more responsive to and better reflects and serves the needs of our residents while continuing to honour our environmental obligations,” Ireland said.
Ireland noted the legislation "sets the stage" for redeveloping the municipality's governance agreement with Parks Canada.
Parks Canada has historically handled all land-use planning and development within the Jasper townsite. In recent years, residents and business owners have complained about the slow approval process and restrictions as well as a lack of democratic input.
Conversations about transferring this authority to the Municipality of Jasper have been in the works since 2022, but this became a legislative priority following the wildfire.
As a former mayor of Banff, Sorensen explained while Banff and Jasper faced similar challenges as municipalities within national parks, the key difference was local authorities in Banff had control over land-use planning or development.
“In practice, that means we don’t have to get approval from Parks Canada officials in Ottawa to build homes for our residents or make repairs to our roads or seek federal input over what kind of siding to use on our buildings,” she said. “[In 2001] when Jasper negotiated its own agreement for the establishment of local government, the federal government refused to replicate the model that has been so successful in Banff.”
The transfer of authorities is intended to give the Municipality of Jasper greater control over the rebuilding effort and to simplify the process for residents and developers.
Sorensen emphasized during third reading on Thursday (Oct. 3) that the bill was not “a development free-for-all,” noting it did not impact Parks Canada’s jurisdiction over Jasper National Park or allow the municipality to expand the townsite past its current footprint.
The environment minister will have to sign off on Jasper’s community plan, and the municipality will be bound by Alberta’s provincial legislation that governs municipalities.
