Jasper's worst nightmare has come true, says mayor

Thursday, July 25, 2024 - By Helen Surgenor

Here’s what you need to know to get the day started:

Jasper's worst nightmare has come true, says mayor

The Maligne Lodge hotel is one of the structures that burned in Jasper, Alta., after a wildfire reached the townsite Wednesday evening. (Submitted by name withheld)

Flames have reached the townsite in Jasper, Alta., and Parks Canada says the damage is significant.

At the time of writing, it is unclear exactly which buildings have burned, or how much of the town is engulfed in flames. Firefighters are still trying to protect buildings and critical infrastructure, including the wastewater treatment plant and Trans Mountain Pipeline.

CBC News has heard from a lot of people who find this moment heartbreaking. A lot of happy memories have been made in Jasper — family ski trips, wildlife encounters, post-hike pizzas.

It’s also the place thousands of people call home.

"This is simply our community's worst nightmare," Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland told CBC News.

Karyn Decore’s family owned Maligne Lodge for over 60 years. That building burned overnight. "It's tragic, it's devastating," she said. Not just for her, but for her staff too — many of whom come from countries around the world.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the federal government is mobilizing every available resource to help with firefighting efforts and support evacuees. The weather could help too — rain is in the forecast for today.

Jasper’s mayor is promising the community will rebuild.

"The people have been saved and that is significant. We can find a way to rebuild. We can find each other to hug again, because we all got out," he said.

Got a news tip or story idea? Contact us.

More on this issue

Read the full story here.

What it's like being trapped by wildfire in Alberta's backcountry.

What you need to know to stay up-to-date on Alberta wildfires.

Stanley Cup homecoming

(Nick Iwanyshyn/The Canadian Press)

NHL defenceman Brandon Montour brought the Stanley Cup to Six Nations of the Grand River, Ont., yesterday. Montour is Mohawk and partly grew up in Six Nations, and his Florida Panthers were this year's Stanley Cup Champions. As is tradition, members of the winning team get a day with the Cup. Read how Montour spent his day here.

In brief

A cluster of human bird flu cases in the U.S. has scientists on high alert. A handful of farm workers in Colorado were infected with H5N1 recently. The virus strain is similar to the form of bird flu tearing through dairy farms across more than a dozen states. Scientists say the timing is bad. It’s nearly flu season, and come the fall millions of wild birds will start migrating. That gives the virus countless more opportunities to evolve. Read more about the potential for a huge outbreak here.

Police admit they 'lost sight' of a speeding van minutes before a deadly wrong-way crash on Highway 401, near Toronto. A report to the Durham Regional Police Service Board last month lays out a detailed timeline. It started when the suspect pulled a knife on an off-duty officer who was trying to prevent a theft at a liquor store. Then, he took off in a U-Haul van and the off-duty officer followed him until police cruisers showed up. Eventually there were seven police vehicles pursuing the U-Haul as it sped the wrong way along the busy highway. It ended in a fiery crash that killed four people. Read more about the events leading up to the crash here.

Donations are pouring in for a N.L. woman who couldn't afford to bury her daughter. Janice Strickland says now she'll be able to get her daughter out of a hospital freezer storage unit and buried with dignity. But there are still dozens of unclaimed bodies being stored there, and there are calls for the provincial government to provide more money to people on income support when they need to pay for a funeral. Read the full story here.

The Pentagon is warning of low-level Russian "destabilizing" activities in the Arctic. Things like jamming GPS satellites and flying military flights in the region “in an unprofessional manner inconsistent with international law and custom.” The Pentagon says those activities target the United States, Canada and its allies. They are all outlined in an 18-page assessment that also says Russia and China are increasing their naval co-operation in the region. Read more about the potential threat here.

Thank you to everyone who emailed me yesterday about Odaraia alata. I mistakenly called it a mammal. It is not. But I still think it’s shaped like a taco.

Now here's some good news to start your Thursday: Nearly 100 years after its last Olympic medal, men's basketball in Canada finally has a dream team. It includes NBA-pedigree players who say they’ve got their eyes on the podium — gold in particular. But that is not going to be easy. Canada's draw in Paris is tough, to put it mildly. They play Greece on Saturday, then Australia (currently No. 5 in FIBA's men's rankings) and Spain, which is ranked No. 2. Read more about the Dream Team here.

For stories about the experiences of Black Canadians — from anti-Black racism to success stories within the Black community — check out Being Black in Canada.

The U.S. and Israel's 'special relationship' — Part 1

On Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave a long-awaited and contentious speech to a special joint session of U.S. Congress. He had been invited by all four top congressional leaders — Democrat and Republican — to speak.

But not everyone was happy about it. More than 80 Democratic lawmakers skipped the speech, and thousands of people protested outside the Capitol.

Netanyahu's visit comes at a moment when the U.S.'s relationship with Israel, and support for the war in Gaza, are facing unprecedented scrutiny. So today we've got the first of a two-part series looking at the past, present and future of the ties that bind Israel and the United States.

In part one, the history that built this relationship into what it is today.
Listen to today's episode

Today in history: July 25

1799: Botanist-explorer David Douglas is born in Scotland. The Douglas fir would later be named after him.

1920: The Canadian Marconi Company makes the first transatlantic two-way radio broadcast from Signal Hill, Nfld., to the SS Victoria.

1952: Puerto Rico becomes a self-governing commonwealth of the United States.

1997: Larry Fisher is arrested in Calgary and charged with the first-degree murder and rape of Saskatoon nursing aide Gail Miller. It was a crime for which David Milgaard wrongfully spent 23 years in prison. Fisher would be convicted in 1999 and sentenced to life in prison.

(With files from CBC News, The Canadian Press, The Associated Press and Reuters)