Trudeau heads to Alberta to assess Jasper wildfire, meets Premier Smith

The Canadian Press / Jason Franson

• By Ezra Levant

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau finally visited Alberta, weeks after a series of wildfires devastated Jasper National Park and its residents. More than 20,000 people were evacuated from the town.

The head of state visited evacuees with Premier Danielle Smith in Hinton, Alberta, also home to the mobile incident command centre coordinating the wildfire response. He did not speak with reporters. 

Trudeau received a briefing on the status of the Jasper wildfire after meeting with Smith and Mike Ellis, the province’s public safety minister. 

As more evidence resurfaces of warning signs from years ago, it seems like bureaucratic negligence could be the primary cause behind the destructive Jasper wildfire.

FULL REPORT by @SheilaGunnReid: https://t.co/6bZfkwLlsP pic.twitter.com/0fie5lYwbd

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Premier Smith told reporters Monday her aim is to have a unified command between all branches of government. Parks Canada, a federal agency, has jurisdiction over firefighting in the park.

“We'll be able to … do things a lot faster with all three levels of government working together,” she said, hoping Trudeau, during his visit, saw the utility behind a collaborative approach.

“Not only is that going to be important for the residents that lost their homes, but also … the workforce needed to help rebuild,” Smith said. The town of Jasper is expected to take charge of those supports, including temporary housing.

Incident commander, Christine Nadon, said providing temporary housing for those affected by the fire is standard practice. While conversation between governments remains ongoing, she could not detail a housing plan or timeline.

Thousands fled Jasper and the surrounding area on July 22. The fire remains out of control and is an estimated 32,000 hectares.

Jasper evacuees who made it east to Edmonton's Kennedale wildfire evacuee reception centre tell Rebel News how they found out their home was gone after the fire swept into Jasper National Park and the historic townsite on July 25.

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Some 563 people registered for bus tours to see the extent of the damage to their properties. Nearly a third of Jasper’s structures were destroyed, excluding hospitals, schools, and other critical infrastructure. 

Residents, escorted by RCMP personnel, could not depart the buses while in the town for public safety reasons.

Bus tours began Monday, after being postponed one day following the tragic passing of a local firefighter. The 24-year-old Calgary native, working to contain the blaze in Jasper National Park, died en route to hospital after suffering a serious injury from a fallen tree.

Prime Minister Trudeau and Premier Smith both participated in a moment of silence for the fallen emergency worker. Both leaders expressed their sympathies for the man’s family over social media.

Trudeau was notably absent from the tours, which one Parks Canada employee clarified was by design to provide space for evacuated residents touring the devastation.

“We were getting a lot of folks [who] were evacuated in buses, getting in to see their homes for the first time,” said Dean McDonald, an incident commander for Parks Canada. “That’s a pretty sensitive piece.”

Exclusive Interview: Rebel News reporter Adam Soos (@ATSoos) speaks with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith (@ABDanielleSmith) about the Jasper wildfire and the government's mitigation efforts.

Rebel News’ @SheilaGunnReid and @KianSimone44 have been engaged in boots-on-the-ground… pic.twitter.com/K7cKXlAbLb

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The agency explained that once conditions allow for residents to return, but did not say when that would transpire. Despite cooler temperatures, the fire risk across Alberta remains high to extreme.

Minister Ellis said concerns about warmer, drier weather remain top of mind moving forward despite rain forecasted this week. “That’s good. However, to say that’s going to put out a fire is certainly not something they’re anticipating,” he said.

Alberta Wildfire spokesperson, Christie Tucker, said there was no significant fire growth across the province Monday. The national park and townsite remain under an evacuation order.