Smith asks for support for Jasper recovery during Trudeau visit

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Alberta on Monday to visit the Jasper wildfire command centre.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was in Alberta on Monday to visit the Jasper wildfire command centre.

He and Alberta Premier Danielle Smith were briefed on the wildfire response in the morning by leaders at the unified command unit in Hinton, about 80 kilometres east of the Jasper townsite and 280 kilometres west of Edmonton.

Trudeau also met with fire crews and evacuees.

He did not take questions from media afterward. 

Speaking to reporters later, Smith said, "I want him to see that unified command works and that he should trust as a partner to be able to assist in that." 

She says she asked the federal government to consider providing an emergency wage subsidy, suspend business lease payments, and help fund land planning to speed up the redevelopment process in Jasper.

She also said there could be a need to support businesses that won't be eligible for insurance because they did not experience property loss.