2012 Whistler Community Life online survey available July 4 to 20, 2012

July 4, 2012: Whistler, BC – The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) began a random phone survey of 300 full-time residents and 200 second homeowners on June 15, 2012. When this is substantially complete, an online survey will also be available for residents, including second homeowners and those without landlines. This portion of the survey was anticipated to start on June 25 and has been delayed.

The online survey is now available at whistler.ca/survey and will close July 20, 2012.

This is the sixth community life survey conducted by the municipality, and survey results will help to measure performance towards the priorities identified in Whistler2020, Whistler’s comprehensive community plan and vision, as well as resident satisfaction with municipal programs, parks and infrastructure, services, and decision making; the 2013 budget process; taxation; and community engagement.

The survey is designed to support transparency and accountability in municipal operations, to help inform municipal decision making, and to facilitate the measurement of trends over time.

“We want to hear from you,” said Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden. “Community engagement is one of the priorities identified in our Council Action Plan. We encourage anyone who is contacted by phone, to take the time to participate in the survey, and we hope that residents and second homeowners will access the survey online. The community life survey is one of the first steps in the 2013 budget planning process, which is now underway, and will help to inform our overall municipal plans moving forward.”

The survey is being managed by the Whistler Centre for Sustainability on behalf of the Resort Municipality of Whistler, and is being conducted by the Mustel Group, a market research group, which has been responsible for previous Whistler community surveys. All participants will remain anonymous and individual responses will be treated as confidential.

Survey results will be presented to council in September 2012.

Surveys from previous years can be found at whistler.ca/survey.