Public engagement opportunities for 2024 presented, local asphalt procurement to continue, and more.
Looking to get caught up on the Tuesday, February 20 Council Meetings? We’ve pulled together some key stories from last week’s Committee of the Whole and Regular Council Meeting, including:
- Staff present 2024 public engagement suggestions;
- Council pays tribute to local legend Isobel MacLaurin;
- Local asphalt procurement to continue following air quality assessment; and
- RMOW to apply for grant to build out emergency supplies.
For all the details, check out the recording of the full meeting on whistler.ca.
Meeting Whistlerites where they’re at: Staff outline 2024 engagement opportunities
GM Karen Elliott and Senior Communications Officer Jill Brooksbank present at Committee of the Whole
From an overhauled website to a ski day with Whistler’s elected officials, RMOW staff presented their engagement calendar and suggestions to Council at Committee of the Whole.
Community engagement work is about creating choice and agency for people when it comes to how they learn about and contribute their ideas to what the RMOW is working on, said Karen Elliott, General Manager of Community Engagement and Cultural Services. The key is to create opportunities to meet Whistlerites where they’re at, and design engagement options to enable them to learn about become part of the conversation whether they have 30 seconds, 15 minutes or an hour.
Part of engagement comes from foundational communication tools, such as the RMOW website, Elliott pointed out. A Whistler.ca redesign will soon be underway, making the website more accessible, functional, and intuitive for users.
“An easy to navigate site, that is prioritized by search engines, and accessible to all,” explained Elliott, “is the foundation of our engagement, communications and marketing efforts.”
The work is targeted for completion by the end of the year. Other focuses of engagement for the year will include:
- further use of the Whistler Sessions Scenarios;
- formation of a Community Engagement Working Group to gain additional expertise, increasing effectiveness and reach;
- initial exploration of youth engagement;
- project-based engagement for priorities like housing and smart tourism; and
- educational projects to support community resiliency and know-how.
A discussion of general Council engagement opportunities followed, with Elliott outlining how Council can share more facetime with citizens and give citizens time to talk about what, for them, matters most.
A series of engagement opportunities, serving a wide variety of demographics, were then presented and Councillors asked to prioritize the options for the coming year. The options ranged from providing the community with Council’s Spotify Playlist to a Wastewater Treatment Plant tour, and the Councillors selected the items they felt would provide the most impact.
One of the councillor’s top choices was a Community Ski Day with Council, now set for Friday, March 15. See details in the next section.
Staff are now examining Council’s votes, looking for dates, availability and budget to see what’s possible.
Following voting and discussion, Coun. Arthur De Jong said he’d be interested in seeing what the public would vote on in a similar scenario.
“I think one great thing about trialing some of these things this year is that’s how the community will get to have their input,” responded Eliott. “They get to vote with their feet.”
The public is invited to join Coun. Murl and others to ski, ride, eat and chat on March 15.
Community Ski/Ride Day with Council – Friday, March 15 at 10 a.m.
The community is invited to join members of Council for a casual conversation, while taking some turns on Blackcomb Mountain.
Community engagement is one of Council’s four priorities for this term. It is very important to each Councillor to spend the time with the residents and visitors to talk about the things that matter most to them.
The experiences citizens share provide the unique insights needed for good governance. As such, the RMOW has prioritized these connections through a new division—Community Engagement and Cultural Services—which will roll out a series of community-based Council engagement events for 2024, to help connect community members to each other and to the RMOW.
Those wishing to attend are asked to meet outside Merlin’s Bar & Grill, at the base of Blackcomb Mountain, 4553 Blackcomb Way, at 10 a.m. on Friday, March 15. Those not keen to ski or ride with the group can join Council later in the day for lunch at 12:30 p.m. at Glacier Creek Lodge, 4545 Blackcomb Way (on mountain).
Please note: Participants are responsible for their pass, equipment and lunch. It is recommended that skiers and riders are intermediate level.
Councillors pay tribute to Isobel MacLaurin
Isobel MacLaurin, from the Whistler Museum archives
Whistler’s elected officials opened the Regular Council Meeting with tributes to one of the community’s most renowned artists.
Council meetings open with adoption of the agenda and minutes, then there is a Public Question and Comment Period, followed by the Mayor’s Report—a summary of current news, happenings and events in the resort.
The mayor’s tribute to the legendary Sea to Sky artist was by far the most commented on piece in the report.
Isobel called Whistler home for 50 years, helping to shape the community, along with her late husband Don MacLaurin. Her murals can be found on Whistler and Blackcomb Mountains, as well as along the Valley Trail and in several of Whistler’s parks.
She received the Citizen of the Year Award from the Whistler Chamber of Commerce in 1991 and was a charter member of the Whistler Public Arts Committee, the Whistler Arts Council and a trustee of the Whistler Museum and Archives Society. She also volunteered her artistic talents for many years for the children of Whistler, teaching kids how to make art at Whistler Children’s Festival from its outset, in 1983.
For those interested in learning more about the artist and her legacy, listen to Coun. Cathy Jewett’s interview with her for The Whistler Podcast in 2021.
Local asphalt procurement to continue following multi-year air quality analysis
Whistler’s asphalt needs will continue to be fulfilled locally.
Following a review of air quality data in Cheakamus, Council has agreed to continue buying local asphalt and discontinue air quality testing around the South Whistler asphalt plant and quarry.
Up until a couple of years ago, the municipality had moved its asphalt purchasing power to Whistler Aggregate Ltd.’s Squamish plant, out of concern the dust, truck traffic, and particulate created by purchasing from the company’s plant just south of Cheakamus were impacting local quality of life.
Times change and in 2021, Council decided the reduced quality of product—the loss of heat in transport renders it less effective—and increased greenhouse gas emissions warranted revisiting the Whistler plant. With a new recycled asphalt option, and a modern exhaust scrubbing system to reduce emissions, buying as locally as possible was determined to be the best option, given 2030 GHG reduction goals.
The move back to paving Whistler roads with Whistler asphalt was made with one proviso: to monitor air quality and keep tabs on the expansion of hours needed to fulfill the new orders.
Last week Council heard data showing our air remains consistently within the acceptable range recommended for all time periods outside of forest fires. At $60,000 a year for the testing, they have decided they’ve seen the metrics to know they made the right move, paving the way for a buy-local approach to local roads moving forward.
Council approves applying for emergency supplies grant
RMOW staff will be applying for a grant to purchase 165 portable cots, 450 blankets, 600 blow-up pillows, and 10 tablets through the Community Emergency Preparedness Fund (CEPF). The bedding supplies will be used for emergency group lodging for evacuees, and the tablets as tools for those working on emergency response.
With these added supplies, Manager of Protective Services Lindsay DeBou said the RMOW is close to being able to host 400 people in group lodging if needed.
These Emergency Support Services supplies are meant to meet the basic needs of those affected by disasters, whether a single house fire or a large evacuation caused by wildfire or flood.
In 2022, the RMOW acquired a 20-foot shipping container under the ESS Resiliency Project, the same funding stream. The shipping container is used to store emergency supplies and equipment and organize them into easily deployable units.
A specific requirement for the grant is Council support, and direction to provide overall grant management.
Council unanimously voted to support.
To attend an upcoming meeting, check out the Council Meeting Schedule. Agendas and Minutes are available online. To connect with Council, consider Presenting to Council, or get in touch with them individually by phone or email.
