Council Roundup from Tuesday, September 10, 2024
Looking to get caught up on the Tuesday, September 10 Council Meetings? We’ve pulled together some key stories from the Regular Council Meeting, including:
- Freedom of the Municipality recipients announced
- Councillor Jen Ford prepares to run in provincial election
- RMOW works to help older adults prepare for emergencies
For all the details, check out the recording of the full meeting on whistler.ca.
2024 Freedom of the Municipality recipients announced
Former Whistler Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden is one of two recipients of the Freedom of the Municipality.
Every 3-5 years, Council honours individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to the community by presenting them with the Freedom of the Municipality.
More than a title, it gives honorees permanent citizen status in the Resort Municipality Whistler, so they can vote in municipal elections regardless of whether they are a resident or have property in the resort.
Council has recently announced that the Freedom of the Municipality is to be awarded to two citizens: Blackcomb and then Whistler Blackcomb developer Hugh Smythe and former Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden.
Smythe started working at Whistler Mountain the year it opened in 1966, eventually becoming Hill Manager. He subsequently led the group developing Blackcomb Mountain in 1978, opening the new ski area on schedule in 1980. He was one of many involved in helping guide the fledgling Whistler Resort in an uncertain economy with soaring interest rates where investments dried up. He later joined Intrawest and took part in their expansion to other ski areas, the 1996 union of Whistler and Blackcomb, the 2010 Olympic Winter Games bid and Peak 2 Peak Gondola development.
“He is recognized around the world as a real leader in the ski business, and it’s exciting to be awarding him the Freedom of the Municipality,” said Mayor Jack Crompton.
Wilhelm-Morden’s connections to Whistler go back over 50 years through her law practice, volunteerism, and time as Whistler’s mayor, 2011 to 2018. Prior to that, she served on Council four times. Among her accomplishments, she is credited with helping found the Community Foundation of Whistler, which provides grants to non-profit organizations throughout Sea to Sky. In 2022, she was also presented a YWCA Women of Distinction Award.
The awards will be presented at the Regular Council Meeting on October 22.
The list of past Freedom of Whistler recipients includes resort founders, former mayors and administrators, non-profit organization founders, and others. More information is available at whistler.ca.
Councillor Jen Ford takes leave to run in upcoming provincial election
Councillor Jen Ford, a fixture on Whistler Council since 2014, announced that she will be stepping back from her Council duties effective Saturday, September 21, the day the official writ drops for the 2024 provincial election. Ford had already announced that she would be running for the BC NDP in the West Vancouver-Sea to Sky riding.
She thanked her fellow Councillors and the Mayor for taking on her duties in her absence during the meeting.
The election will take place on Saturday, October 19. For more on the election, including information on candidates, eligibility to vote, advance polling opportunities and election day voting, visit 2024 Provincial Election | Elections BC.
Ready Today, Safe Tomorrow: RMOW works to help older adults prepare for emergencies
The RMOW is taking further steps to ensure older adults in the community are prepared for emergencies. Photo: RMOW/Oisin McHugh
With consistently elevated wildfire risk in the region each summer, ensuring residents are prepared for emergencies is a top priority.
Whistler’s older community members and their caregivers need attention, as many could need extra help to shelter at home or evacuate in an emergency.
A multi-part plan, called the Whistler Emergency Preparedness for Older Adults Assessment and Awareness Campaign, was presented to Council to keep this demographic’s needs front and centre.
Older community members have valuable skills and experience and can play an active role in emergency preparedness and response it suggests. It also calls for:
- education and outreach,
- assistance for older community members in developing personal emergency plans and kits,
- support signing them up for Whistler Alert,
- identification of community members who may need extra assistance, and
- recognition of increased risks to health that may result from an emergency such as a prolonged power outage, extreme heat or cold events, wildfire smoke, or any kind of interruption to their continuity of care
“I think it’s important work and I’m grateful that we’re asking questions, like [how to accommodate] non-English language speakers, and how we reach out to stratas that play an important role in our community,” said Mayor Crompton.
Council voted unanimously to accept the report, which was guided by community groups, older community members and the Accessibility and Inclusion Committee.
The next step will involve identifying at-risk individuals, raising awareness, working with health care providers to create a registry of older adults and hosting workshops. The RMOW will be working with partners like the Mature Action Committee to spread the word.
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 contact them individually by phone or email.
