Many Jasper, Alta., residents are still waiting for temporary housing to let them return to the mountain community, despite doors reopening to visitors after this summer’s devastating wildfire.
Local business owners have started trying to recoup months-worth of lost revenues in the tourism town, but there’s a growing concern along the road to recovery: where will all the workers live?
“Having staff accommodation is not a luxury in Jasper,” said Paul Hardy, owner of SunDog Transportation and Tour Co.
The company previously had staff accommodations in four homes: two the company owned, and two where they rented rooms. Each was destroyed by the fire, eliminating 13 employee spaces in total.
The Jasper townsite has about 5,000 permanent residents, but seasonal employees more than double the population: 12,000 people come every year to work for local hotels, tour companies and attractions.
Many of those people lost their homes and belongings on the night of July 24, when a third of Jasper’s buildings were incinerated.
The provincial government and the municipality are in the middle of setting up interim housing for residents and essential workers, like teachers and health-care employees. But Jasper’s recovery means getting its tourism economy back up and running, and local business owners say there isn’t housing to spare for all the workers they need.
One in four Jasper residents work in accommodation and food services, according to Statistics Canada.
With a housing shortage in town even before the fire, Hardy said most businesses with more than a handful of employees have to pair job offers with guaranteed housing.
“People that have lived here, that are long-term residents who lost their homes, of course that should be a priority,” he said, regarding building temporary housing in Jasper.
“But short-term staff housing … those employees and those people, they become a big part of the community as well. It is going to be essential to be able to have this temporary housing.”
A Municipality of Jasper spokesperson said their recovery co-ordination centre is working with all levels of government to address housing needs.
“We do understand the industry’s needs and are exploring options with them as well,” the spokesperson said.
Staff housing losses for Jasper Park Lodge, Marmot Basin
The massive wildfire this summer destroyed five buildings in the staff housing complex for the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge — a major year-round draw for tourists.
Fairmont spokesperson Anastasia Martin-Stillwell, in a statement to CBC News, described the losses as “overhelming,” noting that 81 employees lived in the complex.
Government officials and some Jasper business owners are encouraging tourism, as the community has opened up to tourists again. Experts suggest it is unclear how a recent wildfire will affect tourism, but those who go should prepare for the area to look different from older photos.
The resort, which reopened at this month, has retained about 80 per cent of its staff, Martin-Stillwell said. But for now, the Jasper Park Lodge is operating at a reduced capacity.
The possibility of scaled-down operations at some of Jasper’s big attractions has a ripple effect on other local businesses trying to get back on their feet this winter.
Many business owners are anxious to hear reopening plans for the Marmot Basin ski resort. Hardy, of SunDog, described it as “the economic engine of town” in wintertime, attracting a steady stream of visitors as soon as snow falls, who, in turn, patronize other Jasper businesses.
The resort, which employs 300 full-time and seasonal workers, lost some staff housing in the fire, said Marmot Basin president and CEO Jason Paterson. But it appears the business will be OK in the meantime.
“We’re going to keep looking for extra beds as we go. But no question, we’re not untouched,” Paterson said.
An official opening date has yet to be announced, but Paterson said they’re targeting some time in November.
“We are fully cognizant of our role in the local and regional economy,” he said, adding that hoteliers, restaurants and shops are relying on tourism to return.
“The whole town’s been hurt,” Paterson said. “But it’s really, really impressive to see what’s happening here in town, and on the mountain, to get everything back to as close to normal as we can right now.”
‘Winter economy is of utmost importance’
During a town hall meeting hosted by the Alberta Chambers of Commerce last week, Jasper National Park superintendent Alan Fehr said Parks Canada is hoping to reopen some of the campgrounds near the Jasper townsite, which will help bring winter campers back into town.
Repairs and maintenance work is also underway to ensure Marmot Basin can operate, Fehr said, adding that Parks Canada is looking at a proposal from the resort for additional staff housing.
“The winter economy is of utmost importance, especially on a year like this year,” Fehr said.
“I can assure you that people are working full out to try to address this, because it will have an impact on everyone. It doesn’t matter whether it’s community businesses, Marmot [Basin], Parks Canada — all of us have lost staff housing. And for us to operate fully and to to recover fully, we all need our workforce to be back.”
A provincial government official told the town hall that more than 70 Jasper businesses have now reopened.
But 35 were completely destroyed this summer, and there were more left with various levels of damage, the official said.