Wildfire response needs to improve before another national park burns, says Alberta MP McPherson

A review of the Municipality of Jasper’s 2024 wildfire response is causing tension between the provincial and local governments. Alberta Senator Paula Simons says she doesn’t blame people for pointing fingers, as ‘hearts were broken’ by the blaze that burned more than 32,000 hectares of the national park.

The Municipality of Jasper is evaluating its response to the second-most costly wildfire in Canadian history, now one year on from 2024's devastation, as wildfire seasons continue to worsen.Photograph courtesy of Jasper National Park

News

BY ELEANOR WAND

July 22, 2025

A review of the Jasper Wildfire response says a number of factors, including jurisdictional issues, such as the Alberta government trying to step in as a decision-maker, hampered the response to the flames that burned through one-third of the national park, resulting in the ...

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