Resort Municipality of Whistler Facts and Figures

Facts and figured about the Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW).

Incorporated:

• September 6, 1975

Municipal Boundaries:   

• 12,630 hectares/31,209 acres

Population:

• 9,824 permanent residents (2011 Canada Census data)
• Whistler has the lowest population of people over 65, at just five per cent.
• Whistler's median age of the population is 32.4 years.
• Whistler also has the second-highest proportion of working-age adults (15-64) in the country, at 82.8 per cent and second only to Banff.
• Whistler's population is 54 per cent female and 46 per cent male.

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 Census of Population.

Languages:

• 80.6 per cent of Whistler residents reported English as their mother tongue
• 90.6 per cent of Whistler residents speak English at home
• 5.7 per cent of Whistler residents reported French as their mother tongue
• 12.1 per cent of Whistler residents grew up speaking a non-official language

Source: Statistics Canada, 2011 Census of Population.

Law Enforcement:

• Royal Canadian Mounted Police with 23 Officers
• Bylaw Services has 6 Bylaw Officers and 4 Parking Officers

Whistler Fire Rescue Service:      

• One fire chief, four assistant chiefs, 17 full time firefighters/inspectors
• 60 paid on-call (volunteer) firefighters

Click here for more information. 

Government:

• Council is comprised of one mayor, six councillors, elected term of three years

Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games:

The RMOW was proud to be the Host Mountain Resort of the Vancouver 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, a member partner, and a venue city, hosting the Nordic, Sliding and Alpine skiing competitions and Paralympic skiing competitions, as well as medal ceremonies for both Games and the Closing Ceremonies for the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Winter Games.

Click here for more information.

Real Estate:

In 2012, there are currently 15,216 assessed properties in Whistler. The total assessed value of these properties is $10.1 billion. Of this, a total of $8.5 billion are residential properties.

Commercial Development:

The total amount of developed commercial space in Whistler is 206,569 square metres. About 27% of the total commercial and industrial space is retail; restaurant and bar is 25%, office is 8.7%, public/institutional is 18%. The total value of construction in 2006 was $41.4 million.

Transportation:

Scheduled bus service runs from Vancouver and Vancouver Airport (YVR) to Whistler approximately seven times daily. Whistler is also served by regular air (helicopter/float plane) service and has a heliport.

Click here for more information.

Travel Time:

• Whistler to Vancouver: 120 km/75 mi (2 hrs)
• Whistler to Seattle: 354 km/218 mi (5 hrs)

Tourist Accommodation:

As of December 2011, the total number of developed, self-contained (dwelling) units zoned for tourist accommodation use was 15,880:

• 8,010 tourist accommodation (e.g., condo hotel units, chalets, villas
• 254 pension/B&B rooms
• 7,105 hotel rooms
• 283 hostel beds
• 228 campsites

Visit www.whistler.com for more information.

Visitation:

• 2.14 million (approximate) annual visitation

Development Cap:

One of the biggest initiatives Whistler undertook in its efforts to be a good steward of the natural environment was to set a cap on the number of bed units that could be developed.  A bed unit is a measuring tool that reflects the servicing and facility requirements for one person.  A single-family home is allocated six bed units while multi-family homes are allocated two to four bed units based on their size.

The municipality tracks bed units within its Accommodation Land Use Inventory and allocates an estimated number of bed units for each property whose zoning permits accommodation. The number of bed units allocated is an estimate of the development potential for each property based on its current zoning and any further restrictions or agreements such as development covenants. For developed properties the number of bed units allocated is based on the number of units by type shown on the approved building permit drawings. For undeveloped properties the allocation is estimated based on the expected future development of the property, which is typically based on conceptual plans considered for the development at the time of rezoning. As the development is approved for construction through the development permit and building permit stages, the estimate may be revised based on the approved drawings. Renovation and redevelopment may occur consistent with zoning and development restrictions and the bed unit allocation may be revised accordingly. 

As of December 2011, the number of developed units reached 53,098, or about 86 percent of the total committed. Single family residences represent 29 percent of developed units. Accommodation units (tourist accommodation, hotel, pension, hostel, campsite) represent 29 percent of developed units; multi-family homes and duplex accommodation represents 30 percent of developed units. The remainder is resident restricted housing. 

Click here for more information on housing in Whistler.

Environment/Climate:

Mountain range is the Pacific Range of the Coast Mountains.

Transit:

Since its inception in 1991, the Whistler Transit system has been a success, experiencing the highest ridership per service hour in British Columbia, even when compared to the cities of Vancouver and Victoria.

In 2009/10, Whistler Transit carried 2.7 million passengers and in 2010/2011 there were 3.1 million riders on 25 buses, which are now all low-floor and wheelchair accessible. Buses run from 5:30 a.m. to 3:00 a.m. every day in Whistler. A legacy from the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games, hydrogen fuel cell powered buses have been integrated into the Whistler Transit system, representing 70 per cent of the Whistler fleet.

Visit www.whistler.ca/transit for more information.

Roads:

The safety of road users is a priority in Whistler – particularly the safety of pedestrians and cyclists, who are the most vulnerable road users. Click here to read more.

• 128 kms of municipal roadway

Parks & Trails:

Whistler’s extensive network of single-use and multi-purpose trails is available throughout the community.  Click here for more information on trails.

Whistler is home to 31 community and neighbourhood parks within its boundaries. Click here for more information on parks.

• Total parkland is 551.3 hectares (1,362.3 acres).
• Lost Lake Park is the largest park in Whistler at 216.7 hectares (535.5 acres)
• The municipality has 9 major parks: Lost Lake, Rainbow, Lakeside and Wayside parks on Alta Lake, Alpha Lake Park, Meadow Park, Spruce Grove Park, Rebagliati (Fitzsimmons Park) and Whistler Village Park.
• There are 10 neighborhood parks plus the Emerald Forest conservation area and Rainbow Wetlands Reserve.
• Whistler Interpretive Forest in Function Junction is approx 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) with 16 km (10 mi) of mountain biking or walking trails
• The multi-use, paved Valley Trail is 31.5 km (19.6 mi) from Spring Creek to Emerald Estates;
• The multi-use, subalpine Flank Trail is 43 km (28.6 mi) and climbs up to 1,200 metres along the west side of the valley from Alexander Falls in the Callaghan Valley to 16-Mile Creek;
• Lost Lake Cross Country Ski trails is 32 km (19.8 mi) track set and groomed
• 15 public tennis courts

Mountain Bike Trails:

• 40 km of Valley Trail
• 160 km of singletrack trails
• 120 km of doubletrack trails

Health Services:

Whistler Health Care Centre includes treatment facilities with ambulance and helicopter, x-ray, laboratory, and emergency care. Ambulance and doctors are on call 24-hours every day. Full-time general practitioners and part-time specialists operate from the second floor. The Vancouver Coast Health Unit provides a range of community services including Environmental Health, Public Health, Nursing, Speech Therapy, Alcohol and Drug Counselling, Mental Health, Baby Clinics and Home Care.

Private dental, physiotherapy, massage, chiropractic and acupuncture therapy services are offered throughout Whistler.

For more Whistler demographics, visit the Whistler2020 website, under Measuring Progress.