'It was a matter of time': Jasper-area locals react to federal mismanagement of wildfire

Sheila Gunn Reid
  |   July 31, 2024   |   Be the first to comment

A devastating wildfire swept through Jasper National Park and into the historic Jasper townsite July 24, claiming 30% of the town's structures.

Although Minister of Environment and Climate Change (ECCC), Steven Guilbeault, has asserted that Parks Canada, under the purview of ECCC, took all necessary steps to prevent the fire, which has been described as a wall of flames, ministry reports dating back to 2022 suggest otherwise.

In 2017, former Conservative MP for the region Jim Eglinski raised the alarm about the amount of dead timber acting as fuel load after 44% of the park's trees had been harmed by the mountain pine beetle.

Eglinsky's concerns were echoed by experts in 2018.

And then again by Parks officials in 2020 and 2022.

While officials and ministers working for the federal government make decisions about how to manage the safety of the residents of Jasper and the surrounding area, Rebel News took to the streets of Hinton, the next municipality west of the fire, to ask the locals what they think about the excuses coming out of the federal government.

Did Parks Canada and the Environment Minister(s) do enough to mitigate the Jasper fire? Did they act on the knowledge they had?

Locals don't think so.

Sheila Gunn Reid

Chief Reporter

Sheila Gunn Reid is the Editor-in-Chief, Alberta Bureau Chief, member of the board of directors, and host of The Gunn Show at Rebel News. Sheila also serves as President of the Independent Press Gallery of Canada. A mother of three and longtime conservative activist, Sheila is the author of bestselling books, including her most recent release, Independence Blueprint: What Alberta Can Learn From Quebec.

https://mybook.to/sheila

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