Beth Sanders bundles up against the cold.

It's –30 C on a Monday morning in February in Jasper, Alta., and the town's new director of urban design and standards is walking through snow in a section of town that was completely destroyed by a wildfire last summer.

Looking at rubble not yet cleared away from one burned lot, she compares the community of Jasper to a fighter after taking a strong punch.

"It knocks the wind out of you. We're wobbly and it'll take some time for us to get our legs underne…