The Alberta government is investing $112 million for the construction of interim housing for Albertans who lost their homes when the community of Jasper was decimated by wildfire three months ago.
Seniors and Social Services Minister Jason Nixon made the funding announcement during a news conference Monday, signalling the construction of hundreds of modular housing units to help residents remain in their home community during the prolonged rebuild.
The bulk of the funding announced Monday will be used to construct 250 modular homes within the Jasper townsite.
The new homes will be available for essential service workers and support service workers, and other eligible Jasper residents who lost their homes.
Work on the pre-fabricated homes has already begun and the first residents should be able to move as early as January, Nixon said.
The homes will be offered at market rent, with the Alberta government as the landlord, Nixon said. Details on anticipated rental costs will be released soon, he said.
The homes will be permanent and fully serviced, Nixon said.
The province will sell the properties on the open market once recovery is complete, he said. Selling the properties will help address long-standing housing shortages in the mountain community, he said.
The funding announced Monday will also be used to construct 25 modular homes in Hinton for displaced residents of Pine Grove Senior Citizens Manor in Jasper, which was lost to the fire.
The pre-fabricated homes will be offered as affordable housing units once the manor is reconstructed and seniors are able to return home to Jasper, Nixon said.
The units will be built on land next to the Pine Valley Seniors Lodge in Hinton. The land was given to the Alberta Social Housing Corporation by the Town of Hinton.
Nixon described the funding announcement as a significant step in rebuilding Jasper. He said a severe lack of housing in the mountain town remains a major barrier to recovery.
“It’s an important step forward in rebuilding Jasper so that it is stronger than ever,” Nixon said.
The wildfire in late July destroyed one-third of structures in the town, including hotels and 800 housing units.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada estimates the fire caused at least $880 million in insured damages, making it the costliest event in national park history.
The $880 million total is thought to be the ninth highest natural disaster insurance payout total in Canadian history.