5.7 – Introduction deck: Spotlight on Jasper wildfires recovery
- The 2024 wildfires in Jasper National Park were the largest to impact the park in more than a century, destroying nearly 1/3 of the town and severely affecting the local tourism-based economy.
- PrairiesCan has been collaborating with the Province of Alberta, Parks Canada, the Canadian Red Cross, and local organizations to assess needs and align response efforts.
- PrairiesCan has been and will continue to be part of the federal response efforts. In addition to temporary suspension of loan repayments for existing Community Futures clients in Jasper, PrairiesCan has provided nearly $4 million in support to date:
- $3.45 million to Community Futures West Yellowhead to assist over 300 affected businesses with non-repayable contributions, supporting their return to business in time for the peak 2025 tourism season
- $500,000 to Tourism Jasper to support initiatives to attract visitors for the upcoming shoulder and winter seasons
- Complementary support programs from the Province of Alberta and the Canadian Red Cross have also launched, [Redacted] .
- You are expected participate in the Ministerial Working Group dedicated to Jasper recovery in your capacity as Minister responsible for PrairiesCan, as your predecessor was a member.
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