Nearly two years after a massive wildfire ravaged Jasper, Alta., and surrounding area in Jasper National Park, the town is still rebuilding, but efforts are visibly under way.

On Tuesday, federal Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne announced Ottawa is providing a huge financial boost to those recovery efforts — funding worth $520 million that will be used for projects such as rebuilding critical infrastructure, providing more interim housing for residents and staff and improving future fire prevention.

The funding, revealed during a special announcement in Jasper on Tuesday, is on top of the $385 million the minister said Ottawa has already spent on post-wildfire recovery efforts.

“If you look at what we have done before and what we’re doing, it’s close to $1 billion that will have been invested just here in Jasper and in the national park, to make sure that we restore the full beauty of what we have here,” Champagne said.

“Jasper is more than a park. It’s a community. It’s a place you call home. It’s a symbol of Canada’s natural heritage. It’s a symbol of Canada around the world, so let’s ensure it thrives for generations to come.”

The fast-moving wildfire that ripped through the town in late July 2024 forced more than 20,000 residents and visitors to flee — many on a moment’s notice in the dark of the night.

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By the time the fire was finally declared under control, more than a month later, 350 buildings had been destroyed, including 820 housing units.

“It’s incredibly exciting being a business that was severely burned in the fire and our whole office was damaged. The environment that we work in was severely damaged. We took a huge hit with small business owners and it’s been very difficult to recover. So for me to hear that $520 million is coming to Jasper is absolutely incredible,” said Lisa Darrah, owner of Jasper’s Rockaboo Mountain Adventures.

“There’s a lot business owners who need staff housing, staff accommodation. If you speak to some of the restaurateurs here that own restaurants and own other companies in Jasper, they’re going to need that staff housing to keep the workforce going and thriving,” Darrah added.

“Jasper is open for business, as you’re hearing. We’re open, we are accepting a lot visitors, we are getting busier, which is such a relief to the business owners, but we need housing to keep the workers here. So without the housing, we’d be in trouble.”

There are an estimated 750 currently living in temporary housing trailers and the money from Ottawa should allow them to stay in use through March of 2028.

The mayor of Jasper, Richard Ireland, said it is still “desperately needed through the community. Recovery takes time. Rebuilding homes and businesses takes time. Reviving our visitor economy takes time,” and, referring to the sound of some construction equipment in the background — which briefly interrupted his remarks — he said, “that is the sound of progress.”

The Insurance Bureau of Canada pegged the cost of damage from the Jasper wildfire at $1.3 billion — helping to make 2004 the most destructive season in Canadian history for insured losses due to wildfires, floods and hailstorms.

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