UCalgary supported evacuees from Jasper wildfire

The University of Calgary hosted 175 evacuees from the Jasper wildfire, providing temporary shelter, meals, and parking for just over two weeks. 

The Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA) reached out to UCalgary, as a longtime partner, to take some of the evacuees on a temporary basis while longer-term accommodations could be found. They started arriving on July 28, staying in vacant rooms in the Kananaskis residence building.

“We were saddened to hear about the wildfires in Jasper and were happy to help in any way that we could,” says Susan Austen, director of operations, Ancillary Services. “When CEMA reached out to us about housing, we were able to quickly open a vacant residence building and accommodate up to 180 evacuees.”

Evacuees were provided with three meals per day at The Landing, parking, a fitness pass and refreshment stations while housed at UCalgary.

“I would like to thank our team for the tremendous effort and speed at which they prepared for the sudden arrival of evacuees, and their dedication to giving them a warm welcome,” says Austen. 

The accommodations were temporary, and the remaining evacuees were moved to other accommodations by CEMA on Wednesday, Aug. 14, allowing UCalgary to prepare residences for the arrival of students for the fall semester. Move-in Day is Aug. 25.

UCalgary’s internal Emergency Management team has a long-standing partnership with CEMA. The city organization provides resources during major emergencies and disasters in Calgary and beyond. 

In partnership with CEMA, UCalgary has housed evacuees during previous emergencies in Alberta including the 2013 Calgary flood and the 2016 Fort McMurray fires, when UCalgary was one of four post-secondaries in the city to find accommodation for more than 2,000 evacuees.