Timeline of Jasper rebuilding plans 'evolving' as task force looks at ways to bring residents back

It's "early days" on the plan to rebuild Jasper following wildfires that destroyed a third of the picturesque town in the majestic Alberta Rockies, says the province's minister of municipal affairs.

It's "early days" on the plan to rebuild Jasper following wildfires that destroyed a third of the picturesque town in the majestic Alberta Rockies, says the province's minister of municipal affairs.

And the projected timeline is "evolving" as municipal, provincial and federal officials work on a plan to rebuild it, Rick McIver said Monday.

A joint task force is currently focused on finding temporary housing for roughly 360 households -- finding residents a place to stay for one night up to two years -- until rebuilding can begin.

"Realistically, it could be early next spring, or whenever the frost is out of the ground next spring, when there is a lot of digging going on," McIver told CTV News Edmonton.

Construction at the townsite is complicated by the fact property owners do not own the land they live on.

Lawyer Jessica Reed says Jasper homeowners lease land from the Crown, with contracts up to 42 years that evolve with Parks Canada rules around how and if residents can rebuild.

"They are currently up to their eyeballs coming up with what these new parameters are going to look like," Reed told CTV News Edmonton on Monday.