MPs by unanimous vote have ordered committee hearings into the wildfire that burned Jaspe this summer, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.Cabinet has blamed the July 24 wildfire that destroyed 358 buildings, a third of the town, on climate change. However, records show Parks Canada managers had a “big concern” regarding forest management.The Commons Environment Committee was ordered to “undertake a study of the factors that led to the recent fires in Jasper National Park” with testimony by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.“I saw with my own eyes the destruction caused by the forest fire,” Guilbeault told reporters last Wednesday.“Rising average temperatures which create drier conditions and more intense forest fires are one demonstration of the impact of climate change.”Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan also blamed climate change for the destruction of Jasper. “I just want to take this opportunity just to remind Canadians the impact that climate change has had on our country,” said Sajjan.“Sadly the community of Jasper was a victim of this. We’ve seen the devastating impact of climate change in wildfires as a result of what’s taking place.”.Feds to withhold Jasper forest management details until a year after devastating fire .Cabinet and Parks Canada to date have refused to detail fire preparedness and forest management practices at Jasper where a beetle infestation killed more than 40% of Whitebark Pine.“Obviously one of the big concerns is the dead trees and the fuel load,” Darlene Upton, vice-president of Parks Canada, testified at 2020 hearings of the Commons Environment Committee. “We are ramping up our efforts.”“Is there any sense of urgency?” Conservative MP Dan Mazier asked at the time.“We have developed with partners a specific management plan in that particular area,” replied Upton. She did not elaborate.“Are there deadlines?” asked Mazier.“They are defined by the funding we have available in part,” replied Upton.“We started last year with a number of new projects. There will be a number of new actions this season as well in terms of load reduction and prescribed burns.”.Internal emails confirm Jasper wildfire management was ‘political’.Documents show Parks Canada in fact reduced the number of controlled burns to limit fire risks in national parks. The agency has repeatedly declined to specify how many acres of dead pine were left standing as a fire risk near the Jasper townsite.Mazier on September 10 released Access To Information records showing Parks Canada managers only months before the Jasper fire expressed alarm over “public and political perception” of removing dead trees as a fire risk. “Public and political perception may become more important than actual prescription windows,” read a February 21 staff email. .UPDATED: Out of control wildfire threatening Golden
MPs by unanimous vote have ordered committee hearings into the wildfire that burned Jaspe this summer, according to Blacklock’s Reporter.Cabinet has blamed the July 24 wildfire that destroyed 358 buildings, a third of the town, on climate change. However, records show Parks Canada managers had a “big concern” regarding forest management.The Commons Environment Committee was ordered to “undertake a study of the factors that led to the recent fires in Jasper National Park” with testimony by Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault.“I saw with my own eyes the destruction caused by the forest fire,” Guilbeault told reporters last Wednesday.“Rising average temperatures which create drier conditions and more intense forest fires are one demonstration of the impact of climate change.”Emergency Preparedness Minister Harjit Sajjan also blamed climate change for the destruction of Jasper. “I just want to take this opportunity just to remind Canadians the impact that climate change has had on our country,” said Sajjan.“Sadly the community of Jasper was a victim of this. We’ve seen the devastating impact of climate change in wildfires as a result of what’s taking place.”.Feds to withhold Jasper forest management details until a year after devastating fire .Cabinet and Parks Canada to date have refused to detail fire preparedness and forest management practices at Jasper where a beetle infestation killed more than 40% of Whitebark Pine.“Obviously one of the big concerns is the dead trees and the fuel load,” Darlene Upton, vice-president of Parks Canada, testified at 2020 hearings of the Commons Environment Committee. “We are ramping up our efforts.”“Is there any sense of urgency?” Conservative MP Dan Mazier asked at the time.“We have developed with partners a specific management plan in that particular area,” replied Upton. She did not elaborate.“Are there deadlines?” asked Mazier.“They are defined by the funding we have available in part,” replied Upton.“We started last year with a number of new projects. There will be a number of new actions this season as well in terms of load reduction and prescribed burns.”.Internal emails confirm Jasper wildfire management was ‘political’.Documents show Parks Canada in fact reduced the number of controlled burns to limit fire risks in national parks. The agency has repeatedly declined to specify how many acres of dead pine were left standing as a fire risk near the Jasper townsite.Mazier on September 10 released Access To Information records showing Parks Canada managers only months before the Jasper fire expressed alarm over “public and political perception” of removing dead trees as a fire risk. “Public and political perception may become more important than actual prescription windows,” read a February 21 staff email. .UPDATED: Out of control wildfire threatening Golden
