Alberta Premier Demands Apology Over Critical Wildfire Report by Town of Jasper

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith tours Jasper following a wildfire on July 26, 2024. The Canadian Press/Amber Bracken

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has called for the withdrawal of a report by the town of Jasper on last year’s wildfire, saying it “overlooks” the province’s efforts in response to the natural disaster.

The fire burned through Jasper in July 2024, forcing the evacuation of about 25,000 residents and visitors, and destroying a third of buildings in the town.

The July 17 report commissioned by the Municipality of Jasper to examine the response to the fire said the province’s involvement complicated the emergency response. Jasper is located in the federally managed Jasper National Park.

“Provincial involvement added complexity to the response, as the Province of Alberta, though not jurisdictionally responsible to lead the incident, regularly requested information and sought to exercise decision-making authority,” the report said.

Smith defended the province’s response to the wildfire, saying that the report appeared “politically motivated” and that her government had provided crucial support to respond to the fire.

“It is disheartening to see a report and the media response to that report that so clearly overlooks the substantial, coordinated efforts undertaken by the Alberta government during the Jasper wildfire,” Smith said in a statement.

“Alberta’s 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.”

At an unrelated news conference on July 18, when asked about the report, Smith noted that Parks Canada was the agency of jurisdiction, and that it had chosen “not to ask us to come into unified command until the cleanup began.”

“I’m very disappointed that this report politicizes what actually should be a very successful example of unified command and support between municipal, provincial, and federal government,” she said, adding the Alberta government paid $181 million in support, disaster recovery program funding, and evacuation payments.

Smith also said the town of Jasper should apologize for the report.

“Pointing fingers, casting blame—that is not what the purpose of the exercise is. We all have to look at what we have done in the past and how we can improve,” she said.

The report was based on a survey of 138 firefighters and 115 Incident Management Team members, and feedback from a one-day workshop with about 68 attendees.

One recommendation said there should be clear boundaries of jurisdiction during emergency response and that the province’s involvement complicated the response.

“While the Unified Command structure between the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada was effective, provincial involvement introduced complexity due to uncertain decision-making authority and jurisdictional overlap, which requires clarification for effective, efficient emergency planning and response,” the report said.

Federal Public Safety Minister Eleanor Olszewski said on July 18 it wouldn’t be “helpful” for her to comment on Premier Smith’s remarks. She said she is reviewing the report and will travel to Jasper next week to mark the one-year anniversary of the fire.

Response

The municipality would not comment on Smith’s remarks, a spokesperson said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times. It said the report was intended to focus on emergency response and coordination improvements and the municipality appreciated the role provincial teams played and was grateful for the provincial government’s support during the recovery process.

Opposition NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said Smith’s government had put politics ahead of keeping Albertans safe.

“This report shows that their interference and their constant picking fights with Ottawa cost valuable time and resources,” Nenshi said in a July 18 post on X.

Prior to the news conference, Smith said the report was “misguided,” had “selective framing,” and failed to acknowledge the efforts of provincial emergency personnel and leadership.

“Notably, local officials raised no concerns when provincial wildfire firefighting teams arrived rapidly with personnel and equipment, nor when Alberta stepped up to fill gaps in funding, logistics and accommodations. These facts deserve recognition,” Smith said in a post on X.

She also said Parks Canada needs to address what she called poor forest management practices that raise the risk of wildfires in the province.

“The long-standing lack of adequate fuel reduction and forest health maintenance in these areas has contributed significantly to the wildfire risk facing communities such as Jasper and others,” Smith wrote in the post.

The federal Conservatives have also criticized Ottawa for its management of forest fires, saying last year it had failed to conduct proper controlled burns.

Parks Canada said in reply it had performed all prescribed burns and had responded appropriately. The Liberals also accused the Conservatives of politicizing the issue.

Alberta has also criticized the federal government for not asking it to join the response command team from the outset. The federal government has said in response that then-Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan maintained “constant and consistent” coordination with the province.

Appearing before a parliamentary committee in October, Sajjan said he was “in daily contact” with his provincial counterpart.

Sajjan added that “everything that could have been done was done.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.