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Federal legislation introduced Wednesday aims to give the fire-ravaged Rocky Mountain town of Jasper, Alta., full authority over local land planning and development instead of Parks Canada.

Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault said the legislation, once passed, would help accelerate rebuilding efforts.

A July wildfire destroyed over one-third of the town’s homes and businesses and wiped out more than 800 housing units.

Since Jasper falls within the boundaries of Jasper National Park, Parks Canada currently has authority over land use planning and development in the town.

This means building plans and permits are issued by Parks Canada rather than the local government.

At a news conference in Ottawa, Guilbeault said giving Jasper control over development in the community is transferring authority “where it belongs.”

“It will make it possible to give the town of Jasper, businesses and residents more say to shape the future of the town,” Guilbeault said.

“We’re committed to remove any and all barriers that impede these efforts.”

Jasper Mayor Richard Ireland said the new legislation is the first step in a long process to actually obtain the authority, but it’s coming at a critical time for the town.

“This is a tremendously significant step forward for Jasper,” he said.

“The changes which this legislation enables will permit us to plan for Jasper’s future with more local input, ensuring that decisions may truly reflect the needs of our residents while, of course, preserving the unique character of our iconic national park.”

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault said once the legislation is passed, Parks Canada and Jasper are to create a community development plan that would then need to be approved by the Alberta government.

Ireland said this change has been in the works since 2022.

“We have been in long discussions with Parks Canada over a number of years to get to a point where we think we are very close to agreement on the technical aspects,” he said.

“But we need this legislative change first and hopefully that will come rapidly.

“It cannot be quick enough from our perspective.”

Jasper is grappling with a number of challenges as the community starts to rebuild.

Earlier this week, town council voted to ask the Alberta government for help stabilizing its annual budgets for the next few years since the fire took out a significant amount of property tax revenue.

Without provincial assistance, local officials say the town would need to drastically cut services, which could harm the visitor experience and subsequently damage the vital tourist economy.

Another option would be to hike property taxes for remaining residents, which officials say would slow the rebuild.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

OTTAWA – The Liberal government will slash the number of international student visas it processes by another 10 per cent, and a group representing Ontario colleges is warning that will lead to program cuts.

The government says the new target for 2025 and 2026 will be 437,000 permits. In 2024 the target was 485,000 permits.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller said on Wednesday the government expects the changes to “yield approximately 300,000 fewer study permits” over the next three years.

Colleges Ontario warned of chaos “both for international students who were excited to come here for a world-class education, and for the domestic students whose programs are now at risk.”

Ottawa is also putting new limits on work permits for spouses of both foreign workers and students in master’s degree programs. To qualify, the applicants’ spouses have to be in a master’s program of at least 16 months in duration, or foreign workers in management or professional occupations or working in sectors experiencing labour shortages.

Miller said the growth in international students and the corresponding postgraduate work and spousal permits are areas where “we owe it to Canadians, and in the context of an economy where the labour market in some areas is constricting, we need to adjust accordingly.”

In January, the Liberal government announced a temporary cap to reduce the number of new student visas by more than a third this year.

Those changes came at a time when there was significant scrutiny of the international student program. Experts warned that strong population growth was putting pressure on an already-strained housing market.

Miller said the measures the government has taken until now are working, citing “more than anecdotal evidence that there has been an impact on certain rental markets where students are more prevalent.”

He acknowledged it has been a turbulent year for universities and colleges, which want predictability, but said he expects them to adjust to the new rules.

“I’ve told post-secondary institutions several times that they need to adjust their recruitment practices,” he said. “I have told them that the cost of acquisition of international students is certain to increase.”

Universities Canada president Gabriel Miller said Wednesday’s announcement “ripped the Band-Aid off” after months of uncertainty. He said the government has been making announcements in “dribs and drabs” about changes to specifics like the right of students to work in Canada.

“The government has given us clarity about what its objectives are going to be and what the rules governing the system will be. And that’s going help dispel the cloud of uncertainty that’s been hanging over international student recruitment and that’s done so much damage to our international brand.”

He also said the government’s decision to include previously exempt graduate students in the cap “sends a message that Canada is uncertain about its commitment to aggressively recruiting those most talented students to come and work and study here.”

Colleges Ontario president Marketa Evans called the announcement “deeply concerning” and said in a statement it shows a bias toward universities.

Evans said the federal government’s restrictions mean colleges in the province are set to lose at least $1.7 billion in revenue over the next two years.

“Ontario’s public college system cannot be cut off at the knees like this,” Evans said.

“With declining international students, and the resulting budgetary crunch, colleges will have to reduce program offerings or cancel them altogether, which means domestic students won’t have the chance to study in programs that are needed to address critical labour shortages.”

Rahul Jayan, an international student from India, said the federal government’s move will make it harder for others like him to seek an education in Canada.

“It will be very tough (for those) who are coming,” the 22-year-old said on a Toronto college campus on Wednesday. “There are more people who dream to come to Canada.”

Jayan said he knew people in India who would be directly affected by the news.

“It will be difficult,” he said.

— With files from Nojoud Al Mallees in Ottawa and Rianna Lim in Toronto

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

CALGARY – The Calgary Flames have re-signed defenceman Ilya Solovyov and centre Cole Schwindt, the NHL club announced Wednesday.

Solovyov signed a two-year deal which is a two-way contract in year one and a one-way deal in year two and carries an average annual value of US$775,000 at the NHL level.

Schwindt signed a one-year, two-way contract with an average annual value of $800,000 at the NHL level.

The 24-year-old Solovyov, from Mogilev, Belarus, made his NHL debut last season and had three assists in 10 games for the Flames. He also had five goals and 10 assists in 51 games with the American Hockey League’s Calgary Wranglers and added one goal in six Calder Cup playoff games.

Schwindt, from Kitchener, Ont., made his Flames debut last season and appeared in four games with the club.

The 23-year-old also had 14 goals and 22 assists in 66 regular-season games with the Wranglers and added a team-leading four goals, including one game-winning goal, in the playoffs.

Schwindt was selected by Florida in the third round, 81st overall, at the 2019 NHL draft. He came to Calgary in July 2022 along with forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenceman MacKenzie Weegar in the trade that sent star forward Matthew Tkachuk to the Panthers.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2024.

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.