Jasper slowly reopens to the public after recovery from forest fire

As cleanup efforts continue in Jasper, the public is once again welcome to the mountain town.

Shelley Koebel owns three businesses that have been open for two weeks. She said customers who come can’t come back fast enough.

“We have our Coin Clean Laundry and our SnowDome coffee bar that are one entity, and we also have Andromeda Coffee,” Koebel said.

“We are reaching the point where we need more than just local support to be sustainable, and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors back in a conscious way.”

Jessica Worth, owner of Cubz Play Cafe, said the recovery has been an emotional process and is happening faster than expected.

“We’re lucky our house is still standing, but you also have a bit of survivor’s guilt now,” she said.

It’s still a tough time for many, so Worth hopes out-of-towners will bring some business, but not major tourism.

“We’re not quite ready yet, the city, to welcome everyone in. There’s still a lot of grief, especially for those who have lost their homes,” Worth said.

“There are limited amenities, there is only one supermarket open, we only have two gas stations, two of our other gas stations burned down, so those amenities are essential for us, the residents who are here, to be able to live comfortably.”

Despite the difficult years following the COVID-19 pandemic, with wildfires and challenging ski seasons, Koebel is optimistic about Jasper’s return to form.

“I know Jasper will always be loved,” she said.

“I’m confident that it will probably be a slower ski season than normal, but it can’t be worse than last year.”

With files from Nicole Weisberg and David Ewasuk of CTV News Edmonton