Overview

• An independent review praised the Municipality of Jasper and Parks Canada for an effective unified command before the province joined incident management.
• The report concludes that Alberta’s government regularly requested information and sought decision-making authority, which disrupted incident commanders’ focus.
• Premier Danielle Smith dismissed the findings as unfair and politically motivated, demanding the town retract the report and issue an apology.
• The 2024 wildfire destroyed 358 structures—about one-third of Jasper’s buildings—and forced 25,000 residents and visitors to evacuate for three weeks.
• The review offers two dozen recommendations for clarifying jurisdictional responsibilities and enhancing future wildfire coordination, and Alberta is preparing its official response.