Where to Start
Fees
Other municipal services
Payment and refunds
Insurance requirements
Locations - things you should know
Parking
Contacts

Where to Start
Any person or company wishing to access Whistler municipal property for the purposes of commercial photography, video, film and television,including documentaries, must obtain a film permit from the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW). News media are exempt.

Once you have chosen your locations, contact the RMOW at 604-935-8417 to verify it is municipal property and a permit is needed, and that it is available for film production on the dates you've chosen. Please have the contact and production information required ready when you call. Or, fax or email the information to the attention of Christa Vandeberg in the Village Animation office, 604-935-8188,  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . Or, complete the convenient e-form online. (Go There Now).

Information requirements, insurance requirements and fees are listed below. For filming on Whistler or Blackcomb Mountains, please call the Whistler-Blackcomb Public Relations Office at 604-932-3141. For travel/tourism sponsored programs promoting Whistler as a destination, please contact Media Relations at Tourism Whistler at 604-932-3928.

Fees
Each production will be required to pay a permit fee and a damage deposit prior to commencement of filming. A per day filming fee is payable upon completion of production. A Whistler business licence, obtainable from the municipal building department, will be required for long-term productions.

 

Permit fee	$125
Per day film fee	$300
Damage deposit	$6000
Business Licence*	$165

A facility rental fee may be charged instead of film fee for indoor facilities. *Required depending on service and duration of shoot. 

Police
Contact the Whistler detachment of the RCMP at 604-932-3044.

Whistler Fire Rescue Fees
Whistler Fire Rescue Services can provide safety equipment and crews as
required for special effects. The per hour rate includes truck and four firefighters:
Fire Rescue:     $385/hour or portion thereof
Hydrant permit:  $25/day. Obtainable from the Public Works Yard, 8000 Hwy 99, (by Nesters) 604-935-8300. Payment by cash and cheque only.

Other Municipal Services
Other services to film production companies include street and mall cleaning, snowclearing, installation of banners, signs and decorations,flagging underground irrigation pipes, etc.

Labor is charged at $40 per hour per person.
Lift truck and operator is $75 an hour.

Snowclearing, when available, starts at $75 an hour, depending on scope of work and equipment required. Snowclearing service is limited to when staff and equipment are available.

These charges are added to your per day filming fee and payable upon
completion of filming.

GST is added to all fees, except the damage deposit.

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Payment and Refunds
Payment can be in the form of a cheque, cash, debit, Visa or Mastercard. All payments will be processed. Refunds of damage deposits will be issued by cheque once production has wrapped and the locations havebeen checked by municipal staff for damages. Cheques will be made payable to the name given with the damage deposit (card holder name, name on preprinted cheque), and mailed to the address provided.

Insurance Requirements
We require proof of liability insurance, naming the Resort Municipality of Whistler (and the Whistler Village Land Company, should any filming take place in the village) as additional insured for $3 million CDN liability. Please have your insurance company fax the waiver to 604-935-8188, or email a doc or pdf of same to  This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it A permit will not be issued without receipt of proof of insurance.

Once the insurance and full fees are received, the permit will be issued. A representative of the production company is required to sign the permit and return a copy to the Information Office either by fax, email, mail or in person.

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Locations - Things You Should Know
Whistler Village, a unique, pedestrian village including Village North and Upper Village, is the jursidiction of the Resort Municipality of Whistler. The area in front of the Village gondolas (Skiers Plaza) is the jurisdiction of Whistler Blackcomb. There are power outlets in Village Square, Town Plaza and Village Common (Starbucks). Vehicle access is limited.

Pedestrian malls cannot be closed to public access during production and storefront access should remain clear. The municipality asks productions to notify retailers and restaurants in the locations in which they wish to film.

If the location is in a Whistler subdivision, the municipality requires location managers to notify the residents in the affected areas.

The RMOW manages the Whistler Interpretive Forest, located 10 kilometers south of the village across from Function Junction. This 3,000-hectare demonstration forest is a favorite with many production companies, featuring forested trails, the Cheakamus River gorge and suspension bridge (foot and bicycle only), kayak put in/pull out, House Rock, numerous hiking, biking, and snowshoeing trails and vehicle access. The Whistler Athlete Village will be built at the entrance to the forest, with construction slated to begin in 2006. Please contact the RMOW Information Office for details on this location.

Please notify the Information Office if you are filming on private property within the Resort Municipality of Whistler's municipal boundaries.

Parking
Please arrange parking of vehicles associated with the production in advance. Parking is permitted on the even side of municipal roads only. Parking on the odd side of the street and in fire lanes is prohibited at all times.

During winter parking regulations (November 1 through March 31), parking on the even side of the street is prohibited between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. to facilitate snowclearing. Special event parking permits are available. Contact the RMOW InformationOffice.

There is no overnight parking in the day skier parking lots. You may be able to park large production vehicles at Blackcomb Base II. Please contact Whistler-Blackcomb for further information.

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Contact Information
For more information on municipal film permits, contact:

Christa Vandeberg
Resort Muncipality of Whistler
4325 Blackcomb Way,
Whistler, BC
V0N 1B4

Direct: 604-935-8417
Fax: 604-935-8188
Main: 604-932-5535
Toll Free: 1-866-932-5535