Town of Jasper planning and development authority

Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper are working together to transfer land use and planning authority from Parks Canada to the Municipality of Jasper within the Jasper townsite. The Municipality initiated this work in 2022 with a formal request to take on these responsibilities. Changes to the Canada National Parks Act in October 2024 enabled the transfer to take place. Additional work is required before the transfer can be completed.

Work to transfer authority was temporarily paused so that the Municipality and Parks Canada could focus on supporting the immediate recovery and rebuilding of the town following the wildfire. Now that recovery is well underway, work is moving forward again.

What is land use planning and development?

Land use planning is how communities decide where homes, public uses, parks, roads, and businesses should be built. Development rules provide direction for what buildings and surrounding spaces should look like. Land use planning helps create and steward safe, sustainable, and vibrant communities.

The proposed shift means that certain land use planning and development decisions will be made within the Townsite by the Municipality of Jasper council, rather than Parks Canada.

Previous consultation

Consultation on transferring authority occurred in 2023. The 2023 public consultation included online engagement and survey, one dedicated in-person information session, seven targeted stakeholder meetings, and an in-person feedback opportunity at the Jasper National Park Annual Public Forum.

Indigenous partners were consulted to ensure their perspective was considered in the process. First Nation and Métis communities and groups whose traditional territory include Jasper National Park were invited to provide feedback.

A What We Heard Report (PDF, 3.6 MB) summarizes the input from the 2023 consultation.

Work to be done on transfer of authority

Over the coming months, Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper will collaborate on the following work to enable the transfer of planning and development authority:

• Update the 2001 “Agreement for the Establishment of Local Government in Jasper.”
• Develop a community plan and land-use bylaw that complies with Alberta’s Municipal Government Act.
• Prepare changes to federal policies to reflect the change in authority.
• Organize for a smooth and orderly transition.

The transfer of land use planning and development authority to the Municipality of Jasper does not include the ability to change development limits in the Canada National Parks Act. No changes to commercial floor area allocations, commercial zoning limits or the Town of Jasper boundary are permitted through this process or the transfer of authority.

How the transfer affects those developing within the townsite

There is no change in development process or decision-making while Parks Canada and the Municipality of Jasper work on the transfer of authority. Development and building permit application processes remain the responsibility of Parks Canada until the transfer takes place.

Any change to development processes will be communicated well ahead of the transfer of authority.

Contact

Inquiries about the transfer of land use and planning authority can be directed to jasperdevelopment@pc.gc.ca or 780-852-6123.

Please also refer to the Municipality of Jasper website for updates.