A new report examining the response to last year's Jasper wildfire says Alberta's provincial government disrupted the efforts to extinguish the blaze.

The report was commissioned by the town and reviewed emergency management plans, surveyed firefighters and members of the incident management team (IMT) and individuals from agencies and organizations across all levels of government and the private sector who were directly involved in the response.

“It is not intended to ascribe blame,” wrote the report's authors.

“Rather, it identifies gaps, overlaps, and opportunities for improvement to ultimately support increased community resilience, bolster the capacity and capabilities of the groups involved in the incident, and bring light to issues that may warrant additional exploration in future emergency planning efforts.”

The Municipality of Jasper contracted the report to communications firms Satya Inc. and Respond Planning Communications Inc.

“The coordination between local emergency responders and Parks Canada exemplified effective collaboration, ensuring a unified approach to the crisis,” the report said.

However, the province's involvement “added complexity to the response,” it continued, noting that Alberta officials, “though not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the incident, regularly requested information and sought to exercise decision-making authority.”

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Jasper National Park, where the fire began, is managed by the federal government.

While Alberta Wildfire “supported firefighting operations and participated in the IMT,” issues arose over “jurisdictional overlap with the province,” the authors found.

This led to “political challenges that disrupted the focus of incident commanders, leading to time spent managing inquiries and issues instead of directing the wildfire response and re-entry.”

The disjointed response caused “a lack of awareness regarding resource availability and location, which contributed to confusion, increased safety risks and hindered effective allocation of resources.”

A joint statement from Premier Danielle Smith, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis, Minister of Forestry and Parks Todd Loewen, and Minister of Assisted Living and Social Services Jason Nixon said it was “disheartening to see a report and the media response to that report,” noting it “clearly overlooks the substantial, coordinated efforts undertaken by the Alberta government during the Jasper wildfire.”

Provincial leaders said the “swift deployment of crews, emergency funding and operational support played a critical role in protecting lives and infrastructure, and these contributions are either minimized or ignored entirely.”

During a 2024 parliamentary committee hearing, Ellis said the province was put “in a position where (it could) certainly influence (the wildfire response) but not decide,”

When asked why the province wasn't better integrated with the unified command, Ellis directed the question to the environment minister, a position then held by Steven Guilbeault, or the national park.

“Parks Canada’s approach, though well-intentioned, has drawn criticism for being reactive,” Alberta Forestry Minister Todd Loewen told the same committee.

The federal government was heavily criticized for failing to clear a large number of dead trees following a pine-beetle infestation, with experts warning in 2018 it was a question of when, not if, a wildfire could be sparked by the brush.

That moment came in 2024, when lightning set Jasper National Park ablaze.

The wildfire caused nearly $900 million in insured losses, becoming one of the costliest disasters in Canada’s history, the National Post reported.

It destroyed 32% of the structures within the Municipality of Jasper, including over 800 housing units, disrupting the lives of residents and tourists alike.