Wildfire risk mitigation, summer operations update, council Code of Conduct bylaw, amending the Five-Year Financial Plan
Looking to get caught up on the Tuesday, May 28 Council Meetings? We’ve pulled together some key stories from Committee of the Whole and the Regular Council Meeting, including:
- Whistler wildfire risk mitigation update
- Summer operations update
- Council Code of Conduct
- Additional funds to cover fire staffing in a budget announcement
For all the details, check out the recordings of the full meeting recordings from Committee of the Whole and the Regular Council Meeting on whistler.ca.
FireSmart, Emergency, WFRS and Climate & Environment teams present to Council at Committee of the Whole. Photo: RMOW
Wildfire risk management update
Teams collaborate to reduce risk and be better prepared
Wildfires are on everyone’s mind with hot and dry summers resulting in hundreds of fires around the province in recent years, including in the Squamish and Pemberton areas. It has been identified as the greatest climate change and natural disaster risk for Whistler.
With snowpack at 45 per cent of normal, the region enters this summer at drought Stage 2. Tuesday’s Council meeting saw teams collaborating in a wildfire safety working group present an update for the community on what we’re doing to prepare for and avoid fire.
“BC Wildfire tells us that the amount of precipitation we get in May and June will really spell how the fire season pans out,” said Bob Manson, emergency program coordinator. “For us to have a decent, or relatively lower level of risk for a fire season, we’re looking at 100mm of rain or more. This time last year, at the end of the May, we only had 12mm, (whereas) this year we’re already at 42mm.”
Despite the improvement, drought conditions will likely persist as the small rainfalls we are seeing evaporate quickly.
To reduce the risk, the RMOW has done fuel thinning projects since 2004. Teams clear out woody debris, remove trees to create space, and prune branches to reduce fuel. Thinning also lets more light and water into wooded areas, promoting green plant growth and bushes to help retain moisture.
This year, areas around Green Lake, Nicklaus North and Creekside, the Emerald West area and Brio will see thinning work.
FireSmart provides similar services on private properties, working with homeowners, property managers and others to reduce risk around buildings. Four FireSmart volunteer workdays have been done on strata properties, 57 homes have benefited from the free chipper service, and 65 homeowners have obtained an assessment for a chance to win $1,000 in donated work on their property.
Whistler Fire Rescue Service is actively training for wildfires, and the municipality is investing in new equipment. Continued risk mitigation in high priority areas is underway, along with training for organizations and individuals in the community, FireSmart work and community education, and work to encourage the public to sign up for the Whistler Alert emergency notification system.
Following the presentation, Councillor Arthur DeJong noted that wildfire safety is a big job, but he was encouraged by all the cooperation by organizations.
“In almost six years of sitting on Council, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a depth of team presentation, and it speaks to the issue at hand,” he said. “I always say that it’s not a question of if, it’s a question of when. The faster we can build resilience, the less we will see of loss of human life, homes and infrastructure. So thank you, we can’t move fast enough on this – and I know you’re throwing everything you can at it.”
Summer 2024 will see a trial to get dog poop out of the waste stream and into the compost. Photo: RMOW/Justa Jeskova
Summer operations update
Parks, trails, dog poop, docks and more
Switching to summer operations means municipal crews are hard at work on many seasonal projects. For starters, removing around 100 tonnes of sand and gravel from local roads and trails. And alongside winter cleanup, a list of exciting summertime projects awaits.
A short list of these for 2024 includes:
- Rerouting and decommissioning Beverly Lake Trail to avoid “prime” grizzly bear habitat.
- A new trial at Rainbow Park to divert more dog waste into the compost stream.
- Finishing work in Rainbow Park with the goal of reopening in early July.
- Improvements to Lakeside Park, including repairs to damage caused by a water main break.
- Improvements to landscaping and irrigation, reducing water usage where possible through moisture sensors and other technologies. A few local parks now use non-potable well water to irrigate lawns and gardens.
- Adding special “Big Belly” waste bins that can accommodate pizza boxes in the village to capture a common source of litter and an animal attractant.
- Replacing the aging and well-used Muskoka chairs in the village.
- Installing new docks at Wayside Park.
- More work on Crabapple Creek stabilization.
Those looking for updates on current projects can check back regularly for updates to the Whistler Weekly project and impacts listing.
Council’s Code of Conduct bylaw
Code moves forward in Whistler, but Council pushing for more provincial involvement
A new Council Code of Conduct bylaw is now close to adoption. It got its first three readings Tuesday night, after being introduced in February and discussed in greater detail in April with six amendments passed.
Among other things, the Code of Conduct sets out ethical obligations for elected councillors when it comes to dealing with others, as well as the process for investigating, resolving and publishing code violations.
Staff removed harassment and bullying language originally proposed for the Code because Council previously concluded it did not believe it necessary to cover territory written into provincial protections, in this case the Human Rights Code of B.C.
Mayor Crompton said he would support the bylaw in its current form, but was uneasy with the idea of elected officials managing conduct complaints against other elected officials. “Ideally enforcement of local elected officials is managed by apolitical people like judges so that politics doesn’t drive decisions,” he said. The mayor has consistently voiced this sentiment.
Coun. Jewett and Mayor Jack Crompton both supported asking staff to prepare a Union of B.C. Municipalities resolution. It would ask the Province to amend the Community Charter to include a mandatory municipal code of conduct and appoint a provincial municipal ethics commissioner with the power to adjudicate and direct consequences, including council member removal for code of conduct violations.
That motion passed.
“Having watched some of the behaviour around the province, it doesn’t seem like it’s something that municipalities are equipped to do,” said Coun. Jewett. “I feel very fortunate to be part of this group because I’ve been watching other (councils) that are very dysfunctional – they can’t move business forward.”
The Council Code of Conduct Bylaw will be presented for adoption at the Tuesday, June 11 regular council meeting.
Council approved full-time staffing of Fire Hall 3 in Spring Creek at the January 23 Council meeting. The budget amendment accounts for this change, among others. Photo: RMOW/Mike Crane
Five-Year Financial Plan
More fire staff, more resilient trees
Council voted in favour of changes to the Five-Year Financial Plan 2024-2028 that would add more full-time fire service staff to the department and Hall 3 on the south end of town. There were also changes to provincial Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) funding, as well as minor investments in committees and the above-mentioned Code of Conduct.
The additional fire staffing expenses for 2024 would be funded by a reduced contribution to operating reserves, and partly by a mix of increased taxes from 2025 to 2028 and reduced contributions to capital reserves in 2025 and 2026. All told, annual expenses for fire staff would increase by $2.5 million by 2028.
The list of RMI projects, which will be completed with matching grants from the province, includes adding interpretive sign panels to parks and trails, upgrades to the Whistler Conference Centre, upgrades to the outdoor skating rink at Whistler Olympic Plaza, more recreational trail maps, a parks accessibility program, funds to upgrade the splash park, playground and trails/off-leash areas at Meadow Park, repairs and upgrades to Meadow Park, climate and resiliency projects for Lakeside Park, improvements to park washrooms, and more – including a project to replace the aging bridge that spans Wedge Creek on the Comfortably Numb mountain bike trail.
Whistler benefited from an additional $1.3 million in provincial RMI funding, thanks to the recent strength of its tourism economy. Through conversations with the province, this money has been earmarked for resort operations.
Coun. Jewett asked about future tax increases, to which staff noted that it was too early to know.
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.
