Jasper needs interim housing

Over 600 Jasper families are currently living in hotel rooms or make-shift accommodations.

Jan 24, 2025

Published Jan 23, 2025 in The Sherwood Park News • 3 minute read

*MLA Kasawski spoke with Jasper residents and officials about housing, November 2024.*

The need for housing in Jasper is urgent and unprecedented. Without adequate interim housing, families cannot return and recover, and businesses will not be able to staff the busy summer tourism season.

Jasper faced a significant housing deficit even before the wildfire last summer and this challenge has only intensified in its aftermath. Now, over 600 Jasper families are currently living in hotel rooms or make-shift accommodations provided through the generosity of friends and neighbours. Many residents have been left with no choice but to leave Jasper altogether, further straining the community and its workforce.

Residents welcomed news in October when the Government of Alberta committed $112 million to supply Jasper with 250 interim housing units for residents affected by the fire. It would have made a big difference for this place we all cherish, for the people who call it home, and for Alberta’s tourism industry.

Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper responded rapidly and diligently to make all suitable lands within the existing municipal boundary available for the 250 units of interim housing promised by the UCP.

There are 4.25 hectares of land in Jasper available for development, which is about 10 acres. That is it, that is all. The townsite of Jasper is not going to expand. It is an Alberta town within an iconic Canadian National Park, part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and its boundaries are set in federal legislation.

Before the fire, the plan was to build higher density multi-family buildings on these 4.25 hectares, to meet the town’s needs. Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper quickly determined they could use the land zoned for multi-family housing. That way, the sites for the 250 interim housing units promised by the UCP could be ready for move-in by February.

However, things have unraveled and the dysfunctional UCP government is solely to blame. It is as if the promise made by the UCP to help Jasper was never real or genuine.

The UCP promised 250 housing units to Jasper, but then demanded these be single detached pre-built houses. Only 60 single detached houses could ever fit on the 4.25 hectares available in Jasper. It is unclear why Minister Nixon continuously repeated his promise of 250 housing units for Jasper when it has been clear to everyone involved since October that no more than 60 single detached houses would ever fit on the available land.

The UCP also demanded long term leases for the interim housing it promised to provide Jasper. If you caught the contradiction in that statement, you are not alone. The UCP insisted on using all available land in Jasper to build 60 permanent houses, when what the town needs right now is over 600 units of interim housing. Jasper can close the gap long term with higher density permanent housing once the interim housing is no longer needed.

On Friday, Jan. 17, the UCP announced the Government of Alberta would be reneging on its promise to fund interim housing for Jasper. It is another broken promise by the UCP, one that impacts the immediate and long-term survival of the Jasper townsite.

In his statement to the media, UCP Minister Jason Nixon referred to supplying interim housing for Jasper as throwing away money. It is absolutely shameful.

Jasper and Alberta deserve so much better.

Kyle Kasawski is the MLA for Sherwood Park. If you have questions about this column or any provincial issues, he would like to hear from you. Find his contact information at kylekasawski.ca.