Nearly a month after being evacuated, Jasper residents will be able to return home Friday.
Starting at 7 a.m. on August 16th residents and business owners coming from east of the community will need to stop at the East Gate and get their resident re-entry guide before they continue to town. Those coming from the west side of Jasper will need to go past the west gate and go to the east entrance to receive a re-entry guide.
According to a post from the Municipality of Jasper, “Residents can show their Parks Canada-issued resident parking pass or self-declare.” The post continues “Resident Re-entry Guides include a placard from ATCO Gas.”
With a re-entry guide residents will be able to come and go from the town during Highway 16 hours of operations from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. RCMP officers will be posted at the east entrance to help make sure everyone entering has a re-entry guide.
The east entrance will be the only entrance into the town and the west entrance will be used as the exit. Anyone who is not a Jasper resident will be directed to continue on Highway 16 through the park without stopping and RCMP officers will stop anyone looking to enter town without a re-entry guide.
“It is important that residents have space to process their immense losses in the community.”
“The state of Jasper is very different now. The process of returning may be intense. There is disruption to the landscape and property in the townsite due to the emergency response to the fire.”
Officials say for some the significant damage could be triggering, while others may find the smell of smoke overwhelming. Residents returning are advised they should prepare to wear an N95 mask.