BANFF – The Town of Banff plans to advocate to agencies and other levels of government for policies that strengthen wildfire protection in buildings and for stronger safety codes and standards.
This is a key recommendation in the draft Banff Community Plan, which goes out for a second public hearing on Sept. 8.
Coun. Chip Olver, who brought the initiative forward, said municipalities have no control over some areas, but something needs to change given the unprecedented wildfires across Canada over the past several years.
“Across our country, we’re seeing so many wildfires, so many communities being burned out and evacuations, and I think any building that’s built, there should be more attention paid to FireSmart principles,” she said.
“Perhaps there could be some authority to municipalities for some retroactive measures after a period of time has expired and people haven’t FireSmarted their property and it’s a danger to the neighbourhood or the community.”
Last summer’s Jasper wildfire was a big wake-up call for many locals in the Bow Valley. The wildfire, which forced 20,000-25,000 residents and tourists to flee from the national park community, ripped through the community on July 24, 2024, burning one third of Jasper’s buildings including a church, hotels, retail businesses and homes.
Olver said there is much to learn from Jasper and other communities destroyed or threatened by wildfire, noting Banff faces risks surrounded by dense and aging forests.
“I think people who design these guidelines or codes need to be hearing from those who are living with the impacts of not having FireSmart buildings in their community, to say ‘we need to change how we make buildings in Canada',” she said.
Banff’s draft community plan places a greater emphasis on wildfire protection than ever before.
Mayor Corrie DiManno said many changes were made to Banff’s land use bylaw this year to help reduce wildfire risk.
Some of the changes included regulating use of more fire-resistant building and landscaping materials, including allowing metal roofs for the first time; however, the mayor said there are some things beyond the municipality’s legal control.
“Folks were wanting us to be able to retroactively mandate certain things, for example, they wanted us to be able to say that you have to remove a tree that’s not fire-friendly, you have to remove your roof that’s not as fire-proof etc.,” she said. “We didn’t have the legal authority to do that.”
