Nancy Addison is still waiting for a house to come home to, one year after a wildfire raged through Jasper, Alta.
She moved to Jasper with her husband about 40 years ago. She spent most of that time as a school teacher, but also immersed herself volunteering in the community during her time as the people’s warden for St. Mary and St. George Anglican Church.
But Addison has bounced around Canada for the past year. Her house was one of the 358 structures in the beloved tourist town — about one-third of its buildings — that were decimated by flames.
“It makes you feel very far away, without support when you’re … moving from place to place,” she said.
“That stings the heart. My sense of community is strong, but there are lots of people that won’t come back.”
It was a matter of days before several fires, which eventually formed the Jasper Wildfire Complex, forced thousands of people to evacuate the national park, including the roughly 5,000 residents of Jasper.
Flames south of the townsite, about 315 kilometres southwest of Edmonton, reached the community during the evening of July 24, 2024.
Evacuees were displaced for weeks, at least. Those who lost homes had to stay away longer.
Firefighter Morgan Kitchen, a 24-year-old man from Calgary, died during the response.
The Municipality of Jasper is commemorating the one-year anniversary this week through various events, including aquafit classes, painting workshops, an online talking circle for displaced residents and live music. Mayor Richard Ireland and other representatives will be leading some of the events.
Jasper’s chief of administration, Bill Given, recognizes that the one-year mark will be different for everyone. Nevertheless, he hopes all residents will be able to participate in some capacity.
“We appreciate that this is going to be a difficult time for many people in our community,” Given said.
“We want to ensure that they have access to a way to commemorate the events of the past year in a way that’s meaningful, but also that they have an opportunity to look forward to a brighter future.”
Efforts to rebuild in Jasper have been steady, but slow.
Addison still has no stable housing. She’s currently staying in a cabin at Riding Mountain National Park, after moving between Vancouver, Ottawa and Revelstoke, B.C., to live with friends and family.
She is working with a builder to design a new home, which she hopes will be ready to move into in two years.
For now, Addison said she has a lot to be thankful for.
“I’m learning to live with less, and understanding that it is possible to live with three sets of clothing and one car, and move from place to place and just keep rotating your clothes. You just don’t need very much to survive,” she said.
“But you do need people and you do need community and you do need hope.”
