Primary Country (Mandatory)

United States

Other Country (Optional)

Set News Language for United States

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language[s] (Optional)
No other language available

Set News Language for World

Primary Language (Mandatory)
English
Other Language(s) (Optional)

Set News Source for United States

Primary Source (Mandatory)
CNN
Other Source[s] (Optional)

Set News Source for World

Primary Source (Mandatory)
AajTak
Other Source(s) (Optional)
  • Countries
    • India
    • United States
    • Qatar
    • Germany
    • China
    • Canada
    • World
  • Categories
    • National
    • International
    • Business
    • Entertainment
    • Sports
    • Special
    • All Categories
  • Available Languages for United States
    • English
  • All Languages
    • English
    • Hindi
    • Arabic
    • German
    • Chinese
    • French
  • Sources
    • India
      • AajTak
      • NDTV India
      • The Hindu
      • India Today
      • Zee News
      • NDTV
      • BBC
      • The Wire
      • News18
      • News 24
      • The Quint
      • ABP News
      • Zee News
      • News 24
    • United States
      • CNN
      • Fox News
      • Al Jazeera
      • CBSN
      • NY Post
      • Voice of America
      • The New York Times
      • HuffPost
      • ABC News
      • Newsy
    • Qatar
      • Al Jazeera
      • Al Arab
      • The Peninsula
      • Gulf Times
      • Al Sharq
      • Qatar Tribune
      • Al Raya
      • Lusail
    • Germany
      • DW
      • ZDF
      • ProSieben
      • RTL
      • n-tv
      • Die Welt
      • Süddeutsche Zeitung
      • Frankfurter Rundschau
    • China
      • China Daily
      • BBC
      • The New York Times
      • Voice of America
      • Beijing Daily
      • The Epoch Times
      • Ta Kung Pao
      • Xinmin Evening News
    • Canada
      • CBC
      • Radio-Canada
      • CTV
      • TVA Nouvelles
      • Le Journal de Montréal
      • Global News
      • BNN Bloomberg
      • Métro
MoreBack to News Headlines
B.C. village struggling to survive following economic impact of Jasper wildfire

B.C. village struggling to survive following economic impact of Jasper wildfire

CBC
Saturday, April 19, 2025 12:05 PM GMT

It's a 120-kilometre drive between Valemount, B.C., and Jasper, Alta. — but business owners in the B.C. village say the ripple effects of the wildfire that devastated the Alberta town last summer have many of them struggling to stay open.

A community of just over 1,000, Valemount welcomed nearly 20,000 Jasper evacuees last July.

Most left within a matter of days, but parts of Highway 16 and 93 that connect Valemount with Jasper stayed closed, cutting off the village's economic activity for weeks. 

The remote community, which is about 300 kilometres from both Prince George and Kamloops, relies heavily on tourists travelling through northern B.C  to Jasper. 

"In the last few years, we've become very dependent on our tourism dollars coming in, and to lose a month-and-a-half worth of that financial income has been catastrophic for some of the businesses," said Donna Hamilton, who owns Twin Peaks Resort, a collection of five cabins and a vacation home on the outskirts of Valemount. 

The village, which describes itself as a resort community and whose economy relies heavily on the northern B.C. and Alberta tourism circuit, is lobbying the B.C. and federal governments for $1.5 million in financial support, saying the community fears economic collapse.  

"Our village faces the prospect of losing nearly all our businesses and livelihoods because we helped evacuees and then were cut off for weeks by circumstances out of our control," said Valemount's mayor, Owen Torgerson, in a news release. 

In his first week as prime minister, Mark Carney announced a $187-million investment to repair and rebuild critical infrastructure in Jasper National Park, including funding for campgrounds, trails and permanent staff housing. 

Valemount says that while it received money from the province to develop an economic recovery strategy, the funds are not enough to cover what is needed. 

In an email to CBC News, Torgenson said the village was able to use the funding to hire a consulting company, Strategies North, which surveyed 64 local businesses. It found that 70 per cent of the businesses indicated that, because of the reduction in revenue, they did not have sufficient resources to cover their expenses and remain viable.

It also heard that many businesses had been unable to make insurance claims because they were not directly damaged by wildfires, despite the drops in revenue.

In its economic recovery strategy report, the firm estimates $1.5 million is needed to support the village's recovery — money it says is required to help offset the losses experienced and keep operations going until the next tourism season. 

"Until this funding is forthcoming, we are unable to implement the plan," Torgenson told CBC. "We are confident, however, that the province would not wish to waste the money approved for development of the economic recovery strategy and Plan, by not providing the support needed to implement the plan."

The province, through the Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness, has said it is working with the community to aid in its recovery efforts, including by providing support for its recovery plan and to access existing programs and grants, but has not committed to additional funding as requested.

Read full story on CBC
Share this story on:-
Run 3 Space | Play Space Running GamePlay Run 3, the ultimate space tunnel running game with 300+ challenging levels!Adv.
Traffic Jam 3D | Online Racing GameTraffic Jam 3D is a game where you’ll be driving through heavy traffic.Adv.
Duck Hunt | Play Old Classic GamePlay the classic 1984 light gun shooter game Duck Hunt on your browser.Adv.
More Related News
Local non-profit 'unlocking' empty office space for artists in Waterloo region

A new collaboration that allows local artists to temporarily take over empty buildings in Waterloo region aims to "cut the red tape" normally associated with renting space.

Donation of Turkish-language books expands Charlottetown library's multilingual collection

The Charlottetown Library Learning Centre has added another language section to its multilingual collection.

As caribou populations recover in Yukon's Southern Lakes region, communities look to reconnect with the herds

An ambitious new plan aims to redefine the relationship between caribou and people in Yukon's Southern Lakes region, including by allowing Indigenous youth an opportunity to hunt the animals for the first time in decades.

Choppers, dozers and railway workers: on the front lines of the Manitoba wildfire fight

Helicopter pilots, heavy machinery operators and railway workers are some of the people on the front lines of the Manitoba wildfire fight. 

Launch of mandatory Ontario Greenbelt review months overdue: internal docs

Ontario appears to be months behind launching a mandatory review of the Greenbelt, and opposition politicians and environmentalists are asking for a wide-ranging and transparent study of the protected lands to preserve their future.

Judge calls woman a 'danger,' sends her to prison after faking pregnancies, defrauding Ontario doulas

WARNING: This article references sexual assault, and may affect those who have experienced​ them or know someone affected by them.

Afghan-Canadian combat advisers launch discrimination suit against Department of National Defence

Former military language and cultural advisers — who at times carried out some of the most difficult and dangerous assignments of Canada's war in Afghanistan — are now suing the federal government for discrimination over the alleged failure to properly train and take care of them following their service alongside combat troops, CBC News has learned.

East Coast Trail Association raises over $100K with annual community hike

The 336-kilometre trail, which stretches along the coast of much of the Avalon Peninsula, has 25 different paths that people can take.

Commercial fishing group to call on courts to define moderate livelihood

An organization that represents commercial fishermen says it's steaming ahead with a lawsuit aiming to define the terms of a moderate livelihood fishery now that a Nova Scotia-based First Nation has dropped its own lawsuit against the federal government.

Riverview Park gets conservation status preserving it for future generations

Daniel DeLong was a Grade 12 student at Riverview High School in 2011 when his environmental science teacher encouraged him to get involved in his community.

'I didn't think I was gonna make it,' says Brandon construction worker who survived northern Ontario wildfire

A construction worker who huddled with his crew inside a smoky shipping container as a northern Ontario wildfire encircled them said he's happy to be alive and back home with his family in Brandon, about 215 kilometres west of Winnipeg. 

Northern Sask. mayor calls province's wildfire evacuation response 'disgusting'

One week after residents of Air Ronge left the northern Saskatchewan community, fleeing wildfires and adhering to mandatory evacuation orders, the mayor says many of them still don't have a place to sleep.

Panthers defeat Oilers 6-1, take lead in Stanley Cup Final

The Florida Panthers have taken the series lead in the Stanley Cup final after a lopsided 6-1 victory over the Edmonton Oilers Monday.

Parking Slot | Free Parking GamePlay Parking Slot, the best online 3D car driving and parking game.Adv.
Slope Ball Run - Play OnlineSlope Game takes you on an exciting journey of a ball on special paths.Adv.
Sudbury long-term care home still can't admit new residents, six months after provincial order issued

A long-term care home in Sudbury has not been able to admit new residents for six months now, following a provincial order.

Halifax's shared e-bike, scooter pilot causing some accessibility issues, say advocates

In the last week, Tara Niekamp has come across electric scooters from Halifax's new micromobility pilot program parked where they're not supposed to be — in the middle of the sidewalk.

'Significant deficiencies' with public housing sees units sit vacant, auditor general finds

The New Brunswick Housing Corporation does not have systems or practices in place to ensure its 4,630 public housing units are well maintained, safe and habitable for tenants, according to a new report by the auditor general.

Peel police bust trucks carrying some $50M worth of cocaine into GTA

Peel police seized almost $50 million worth of cocaine they say was being trafficked from the U.S. into the Greater Toronto Area in commercial trucks. 

She came to Canada for university, but she'd never been accepted. The scam cost her $7K

With an admission letter to a Quebec university in hand, Aminata flew from Benin, west Africa, to Montreal with $2,000 in her pocket to fulfil her dream of pursuing higher education in Canada.

Why hasn't Sask. called for military help? The province says it needs wildfire expertise

At nearly every one of their daily wildfire media briefings, Saskatchewan officials are asked why they haven't called on the military for support.

P.E.I. strawberry farmer hopeful more Islanders will buy local amid disease concerns

With strawberry season around the corner, one Prince Edward Island farmer is sharing his concerns about a new disease that's affecting some crops.

B.C. government says more oversight coming for dysfunctional municipalities

The ongoing dysfunction in the City of Kamloops has gotten so bad that the B.C. government is considering major changes to the oversight of feuding city councils across the province.

8 years after Tim Hague's death, Alberta failing on combat sport reform, experts say 

Eight years after a deadly boxing match in Edmonton triggered calls for the province to regulate combat sports, Alberta government officials say they need more time to consider the changes. 

10-year-old child killed in North Vancouver boat crash identified

The 10-year-old victim of a speedboat crash in North Vancouver on Saturday evening has been identified as Lionel Hall.

Windsor man overdosed in jail after being denied addiction meds, coroner's inquest hears

A Windsor father of two died from a fentanyl overdose at a local jail just days after being denied a prescription for a drug that treats opioid addiction, a coroner's inquest heard Monday. 

Sandy Lake First Nation evacuations continue as major wildfire burns nearby

Hundreds of members of Sandy Lake First Nation have left the remote Oji-Cree community as a major wildfire burns nearby.

© 2008 - 2025 Webjosh  |  News Archive  |  Privacy Policy  |  Contact Us