Good afternoon, Mr. Chair and members of the committee. It is a pleasure to be with you here today. Thank you for inviting me.

I am joining you from Edmonton, Alberta, on Treaty No. 6 territory and the home of the Métis people, who share a deep connection to this land.

I was saddened by the tragic Jasper fire, the loss of wildland firefighter Morgan Kitchen, the loss of homes and businesses, and the emotional toll on the people of Jasper.

I would like to focus on two aspects of the Jasper fire and on ways that we, as legislators, can move forward in a non-partisan, collaborative way: the first being the enhancement of FireSmart, and the second being the development of an economic recovery program that will ensure the financial success of the residents and local businesses still operating in Jasper.

Alberta has a program that focuses on wildfire resilience based in science, and it works. The FireSmart program must see a significant increase in financial and policy-level support from all levels of government. There needs to be a strong focus on supporting homeowner-level improvements in the home ignition zone, which focuses on the home itself and everything within 30 metres of the home. Research has shown that up to 90% of structures are lost to ember ignitions during wildland-urban interface events. In Jasper, fire within the community was started by ember ignitions. This quickly led to structure-to-structure ignition, overwhelming the capability of firefighter resources within the community.

The Government of Canada has offered green energy grants to homeowners in the past, and a similar grant program needs to be established to support homeowners in adapting their homes to be more resilient not only to the impact of wildfire but also to the broader impacts of a changing climate.

The National Research Council published its “National Guide for Wildland-Urban Interface Fires” in 2020. These measures have not yet been adopted in the national or provincial building codes, and this needs to change. The Government of Canada needs to expedite the implementation and incorporation of these construction measures into the national building code. We need to build for our changing climate and ensure that new buildings in at-risk areas are adapted to withstand the impacts of wildfire. As we rebuild Jasper, these codes should be followed, with funding from all levels of government to bridge the loss that will happen with insurance companies.

There is a defined need for better access to wildland firefighting training for municipal, structural firefighters. The Canadian Association of Fire Chiefs passed a resolution in late September on this very issue. We need to leverage the training capacity and capabilities of our structural fire services with well-established and capable training programs to ensure that all firefighters across Canada are trained to a national standard.

The management of fuel—vegetation—needs to be encouraged on a much larger scale. There should be fuel reduction in buffer zones around communities on both public and private lands.

The Alberta staffing model and structure for wildland firefighting are not sustainable. With short employment contracts of four to six months, low wages and extremely limited long-term career opportunities within wildfire management agencies, it is becoming increasingly difficult to adequately recruit and retain wildland firefighters. Wildland firefighter crews are less experienced and being asked to respond to more challenging wildfires for extended periods of time, without adequate time for rest and recovery. This is putting our firefighters at much greater risk of injury and line-of-duty fatalities.

On a broader level, the overall Canadian model is also facing challenges. In 2023, all provinces across Canada had extreme wildfire activity. Resources were not available to share across provincial borders, and many fires were under-resourced. Between May 1 and August 31, the Canadian Interagency Forest Fire Centre listed 113 days at level five. All available wildland firefighter resources were committed, and no resources were available to support provinces. Many international partners came to our aid. However, reliance on international support comes at great financial expense to the provinces and Ottawa. We need to do more to build capacity within our own wildland firefighting industry.

In relation to the economic recovery of Jasper, it is important that all levels of government work together to develop an economic response program. Jasper is an isolated community with a heavy reliance on tourism. Businesses make most of their revenue in the high season during the summer months, when tourists flood in from across the country and the world. Starting on July 22, most of that revenue was lost. That's three months of high-season revenue gone just like that, putting a serious strain on local businesses. In other jurisdictions, when fire has impacted a community, we have seen how they often find economic stability through these resources.

I appreciate the call for housing, but I would also stress that, without employment opportunities in Jasper, Jasperites will not be able to pay their rent. Therefore, we need an economic strategy.