EllisDon selected to lead Jasper wildfire debris removal

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EllisDon construction company has been tapped to co-ordinate debris removal efforts for the Jasper wildfire.

While interim housing continues to be a question on the top of residents’ minds, the recovery efforts received welcomed news Friday morning that EllisDon will be overseeing a co-ordinated debris removal.

“Our collective historical experience has demonstrated, both in prior natural catastrophe events in Fort McMurray and Slave Lake, that a co-ordinated debris removal project delivers efficiencies and cost savings to those insured that have been impacted by unfortunate total losses,” said Mario Fiorino, vice-president of legal and general counsel for the Insurance Bureau of Canada.

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EllisDon will largely oversee the debris removal efforts, but local and regional contractors will do much of the work.

“In order to do this, we need a lot of help,” said Kevin Smith, director for project advisory and management with EllisDon in Calgary.

The company put out a tender asking for contractors to submit their interest in being part of Jasper’s debris removal efforts. Smith said EllisDon received interest from businesses across the province and country, giving an array of options moving forward. In turn, EllisDon assembled a bid package for the interested businesses to bid on, saying that the bidding process is meant to ensure that the project can be completed to spec for the “best value.”

Smith said the bid package will close next week, which will give an idea of the expected pricing per lot for the debris removal, declining to give an estimate of what the expected cost could be.

Pricing for debris removal will vary by property due to different factors from the size of the space, number of structures, and size of the residence. While EllisDon is overseeing the process, each insurer will pay for its own property, which will be kept track of by the company conducting the removal.

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The Municipality of Jasper doesn’t have a landfill, the closest is in Hinton, which Smith said provides a challenge. Hinton has opened a portion of its landfill to the Jasper debris, but Smith said there are limits to what materials it can take, so EllisDon has considered some other contractors to resolve that issue.

Interim housing solution

When asked about the status of interim housing, Jasper’s director of recovery, Michael Fark, said officials are focused on a detailed design of the utility work needed to connect the identified lots. Once the design work is complete, construction of the utility servicing can begin.

In the meantime, he said the Town of Jasper continues to work with the province and Parks Canada to examine the housing options.

“We are hoping to be able to provide an additional update on the types of units, the number of units, and what the full solution picture is going to look like in the coming weeks,” said Fark.

zdelaney@postmedia.com

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