One more step towards recovery for Jasperites

Dear colleagues,

It’s been one month since the Jasper Wildfire Complex drastically impacted Jasper National Park and the Municipality of Jasper. Our thoughts remain with all our colleagues and community members who have been affected by this natural disaster.

Last week, we reached an important milestone. Residents and business owners began re-entering Jasper, marking a significant step in the recovery process. To ensure their safety, essential services are now available for returning residents, businesses and first responders. In addition, Highway 16 and 93N, the main routes through Jasper, are now fully reopened, and we began a limited reopening of some areas of Jasper National Park including the Columbia Icefields on August 9^th, and the reopening of Miette Hot Springs and the Source of the Springs Trail last weekend.

Fighting a wildfire of this magnitude is a lengthy process, and every step forward is crucial. Crews are pleased to report that the Jasper Wildfire Complex’s status has been updated to ‘Being Held,’ meaning the fire is not expected to spread into any priority areas under current and anticipated conditions. Showers last weekend and current high overnight humidity and cooler morning temperatures have helped further reduce fire activity and enable firefighters to access new areas. Significant progress is being made, with over 275 people working tirelessly to protect infrastructure and natural habitats.

This is a challenging time, and Parks Canada is committed to providing all the support needed. To anyone impacted by the situation, please do not hesitate to reach out if you need assistance or support. Team members from across the country have submitted over 100 messages of support, a testament to the solidarity within Parks Canada. You are not alone on this journey.

Please remember there are many resources available to you on Parks(EXTRA)Net, including the Employee and Family Assistance Program and a comprehensive list of questions and answers for employees affected by the wildfire in Jasper National Park. These include details on pay, travel, housing, and general information to assist you during this time.

Again, I am exceptionally proud of the Parks Canada team members from Jasper National Park, the Parks Canada’s National Fire Management Program , and many others across our organization, as well as our amazing partners, for their tireless work on the response to this devastating fire.

We are all in this together, and we will continue to support each other for as long as it takes.

Ron Hallman

President & CEO

#StrongerTogether #ParksCanadaProud

Reminder to managers: In keeping with Parks Canada's procedures for communications with employees, managers are responsible for ensuring all team members under their responsibility receive the information intended for them. It is important that you find a means to transmit this message and, if any, the attachment(s) to employees without access to Parks Canada e-mail or the intranet, e.g. by posting it, circulating a paper copy or by any other appropriate means.