Values are guideposts that help us choose our direction as a community. The last time we identified values was in the 2011 Jasper Community Sustainability Plan. The Municipality of Jasper is working with Parks Canada to replace this plan with the Jasper Town Plan.

Initial work on the Jasper Town Plan starts with values that will help shape further community work on the Plan in 2026. In the meantime, the values will help guide land use and community decision-making.

Post-wildfire disaster, the values embedded in the Jasper Community Sustainability Plan (2011) may or may not be relevant. With new rebuilding opportunities and the future transfer of land use planning and development authorities, Jasper has a chance to chart our own future based on current values.

The first step to transfer land use and planning authorities from Parks Canada to the Municipality of Jasper took place in the fall of 2024 when Bill C-76 received royal assent in Parliament. Parks Canada, the Municipality of Jasper and the Government of Albert are working on the subsequent steps that need to be taken. In the meantime, Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper planning and development staff are working closely together. Stay tuned.

The vacancy rate in Jasper has been near 0% since 2014. Jasper is experiencing a housing crisis with an inadequate housing supply and high costs for housing. Further, most of the structures lost in the Jasper Wildfire Complex in 2024 were homes. By welcoming more homes, we provide housing options to Jasperites and help address the housing crisis.

The Housing Action Plan, adopted by Council in March 2025, outlines eight actions to increase housing availability and affordability:

1. Update Land Use Policy to incent development and promote density
2. Explore changes to parking requirements tied to housing
3. Promote the accessory dwelling unit and secondary suite incentive program
4. Expedite and simplify the housing development permit process
5. Develop financial tools for affordable housing development
6. Develop a land and asset acquisition strategy for community housing
7. Continuous assessment of housing needs
8. Community engagement and new Town Plan

Community engagement is needed to confirm the choices Jasper wishes to make about housing. While the Housing Accelerator Fund Initiatives and the Housing Action Plan suggest a course of action to resolve the housing challenge in Jasper, a community-based discussion and decision are needed.

The community engagement from April to June 2025 is focused on the first two actions:

1. Update Land Use Policy to incent development and promote density
2. Explore changes to parking requirements tied to housing

The Housing Accelerator Fund is a federal program administered by Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC) that provides targeted funding to municipalities to accelerate housing development of net new units. The program is designed to eliminate barriers to housing supply by focusing on systemic, long-term changes that enable sustainable growth. It supports innovative policy solutions while ensuring that housing construction aligns with local priorities.

In February 2025, the Canada and Mortgage and Housing Corporation announced $9.4M of funding for Jasper through the Housing Accelerator Fund. The Jasper Housing Accelerator Fund application included a target of 240 net-new units and an annual housing supply growth rate of 17%. This goal is achievable if initiatives in the Housing Action Plan are fully implemented. Funding is contingent on meeting these targets, along with implementing the initiatives outlined in the Housing Action Plan.