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The hills are alive… with the sound of nail guns, hammers, and engines rumbling.
The hustle and bustle of construction echo across the Alberta mountain town of Jasper, where dozens of projects are underway.
As spring approaches, Jasper is a hub of construction replacing the hundreds of homes lost in the devastating 2024 wildfire while also addressing long‑standing housing shortages.
By the end of this year, 40 apartments are expected to be available to rent in Jasper and a second building of the same size is in the works.
The Jasper Connaught Affordable Housing Development in Jasper National Park is moving ahead with support from both the federal and Alberta governments.
It’s both one of the most significant reconstruction efforts since the fire and also one of the largest affordable‑housing investments the town has ever seen — even before the fire destroyed a third of the community.
New builds are visible across the townsite: foundations are being poured, framing is underway and heavy equipment moves steadily through the residential streets.
Local officials say the pace of work reflects both the urgency of wildfire recovery and the opportunity to rethink how the community grows.
Among the most prominent projects is the affordable housing complex at 737 Connaught Drive: a low-rise apartment complex that governments hope will help stabilize the town’s housing supply.
What the new development includes
The project will be built along Jasper’s main drag — Connaught Drive — between Spruce and Hazel avenues, on the southern side of town where the July 2024 wildfire levelled over 350 buildings.
The apartment building will contain a mix of one‑ and two‑bedroom apartments, including accessible units.
“It helps ensure that recovery is about more than replacing the homes that were lost — it’s also about building more homes than we lost and working to address the housing challenges of the past,” said Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland.
The first phase will deliver 40 below‑market rental units for people who live and work in Jasper National Park, with a second phase adding another 40 units.
Ottawa is contributing $14.3 million to Phase 1 while the Alberta government has committed more than $12 million through its Affordable Housing Partnership Program — $6.5 million for Phase 1 and $5.53 million for Phase 2.
The bulk of properties lost to the fire were single-family homes.
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Officials say this project is designed not only to replace what was lost in the wildfire, but to expand the overall number of available homes — something Jasper has struggled with for years due to limited land and high demand from workers in tourism, hospitality and Parks Canada operations.
“Housing has been a perennial challenge in Jasper,” Ireland said. “Our residential vacancy rate has effectively remained at zero for generations.
“Even before the wildfire, many of the people who sustain this community and our local tourism economy, our workers, families, and neighbours struggled to find suitable housing.”
The units will be made available to eligible Jasper residents, though full criteria — including income thresholds and other financial requirements — have not yet been finalized.
Those details will be released as the project moves closer to completion, officials said.
Construction on the first 40 units is expected to wrap up in late 2026, with the second phase of another 40 units to follow.
Addressing long-standing housing challenges
The townsite of Jasper exists inside a national park, and land for development is limited.
The wildfire destroyed homes that were already in short supply, leaving many existing residents displaced and forcing employers to scramble for staff accommodations.
Mayor Ireland says the development represents a rare chance to increase density in a community where growth has historically been constrained.
“As we rebuild our homes, our businesses, and our community, we face important choices: we can rebuild what was here before, or we can rebuild in a way that creates more homes and strengthens our community for the future.
“This project reflects that second choice.”
Adding new units, he said, is essential to Jasper’s long‑term economic and social stability — particularly as the town relies heavily on workers who need to live close to their jobs in the national park.
The next closest major community is Hinton, 75 km to the east outside the park gates, and then Edson, another 85 km beyond that.
Rebuilding Jasper is bringing in tradespeople from those neighbouring towns and they too need somewhere to stay.
Merlin Larson with Casman Builders is based in Edson, over two hours east of Jasper in Yellowhead County, and has been staying in Jasper Mondays through Fridays instead of commuting each day.
He’s been doing roofing, siding and other exterior finishing work in Jasper since the beginning of February and said while the slower winter season makes getting a reasonably priced hotel room easier, that won’t last.
“Obviously prices go up in the summer, so then it’s kind of it’s looking for interim housing or RV spots,” he said. “We’re tracking it as we go and and seeing what what the cost is, what’s available.
“Keeping track of the campgrounds to see when spots open up and if we can get a couple spots there, then obviously you can put four or five people on a camp spot.”
Ireland said having enough housing for the workers who will help build more housing has been a challenge since day one.
“We were challenged to find housing before the fire: we were about 600 units short. We lost 820 units of living accommodation in the fire, so the challenges just increased.”
Ireland said going into summer, campground space will remain available for construction workers to set up trailers in but he acknowledged — space is at a premium and all levels of government are working together to find solutions.
“This is a small town with a defined boundary and we are challenged indeed to find all the accommodation we need.”
According to the federal government, Jasper has exceeded its Housing Accelerator Fund commitment of 250 units in its first year, instead permitting 365 units.
The plan focuses on densification and 90 per cent of permitted units are medium-density housing. As such, the Jasper received its second payment of $2.3 million from the federal government.
On Thursday, Ireland said construction is underway on over 100 rebuilds.
“We consider that to be exceptional progress and it’s only going to speed up as the building season warms up.”
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