Municipal hall to re-open for customer service June 1

The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) will begin a limited re-opening to the public in the upstairs customer service area at municipal hall on Monday, June 1 with physical distancing measures in place.

 Residents will be able to purchase bus passes, tickets and parking passes, pay property taxes, purchase licences and pay fines. Services on the lower level of municipal hall, including the Planning and Building departments, are not yet available in-person.

 Almost all municipal services continue to be available online, and residents are encouraged to access these services remotely when possible, to limit in-person contact. Services are available at whistler.ca/onlineservices.

 The RMOW closed municipal hall on March 16 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, staff have been managing core services, working remotely to reduce the risk of COVID-19 and developing plans to safely re-open our facilities. Following the release of the Province of British Columbia’s Restart plan, and with clear WorkSafeBC procedures, the RMOW is now able to offer limited in-person services. As we progress through the provincial Restart plan, we will look to offer more in-person services where and when possible and when the RMOW is confident we are able to offer these services in the safest way possible. Full details of the RMOW’s policies and procedures for public access are posted at whistler.ca/COVID19.

 Residents should be aware that WorkSafeBC’s mandatory physical distancing measures mean there may be lineups to access in-person services at municipal hall as only a limited number of people will be allowed in the building at a time. Greeters will be present to ensure physical distancing measures are met. Accessing services online through www.whistler.ca/onlineservices will still be the fastest way to access most municipal services. Transit riders may now purchase one-month bus passes and bus tickets at Nesters Grocery, Creekside Market and Forecast Coffee, Kitchen, Grocer in Function Junction. The RMOW thanks these businesses for their willingness to provide more ways for transit riders to purchase fare products. Whistler Transit will return to requiring fare payments on June 1.

 Whistler Public Library will launch their new initiative, Library to Go, on Monday, June 1, 2020. This program will offer library patrons the chance to borrow physical items for the first time since the facility closed on March 16. Community members will be able to place holds on books and DVDs using the library’s website and pick them up at the library using the new, contactless procedure. Library To Go will be available Monday, Wednesday and Saturday between the hours of 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.; during this time, book drops will be accessible for materials return. Public Services staff will also be available via phone during these times to help with reader’s advisory, place holds, or provide technology assistance. The library will continue to offer remote programs and services that have been in place during the pandemic. More information is available at whistlerlibrary.ca

 The RMOW is also actively looking at how to safely re-open Meadow Park Sports Centre to the public. The BC Recreation and Parks Association (BCRPA) has submitted their re-opening guidelines to BC’s Provincial Health Officer and those guidelines were shared with members this week. The RMOW is now looking at how to meet these guidelines at Meadow Park Sports Centre. The RMOW assures the public that we will not re-open any recreation facilities or re-start any recreation programs until we are confident they can be provided and delivered in a way that meets all guidelines and in the safest way possible and this is expected to take time. RMOW summer camps will be operating this summer and will be following the BCRPA’s guidelines for safe operations of summer camps.

 The RMOW thanks residents for their continued patience while we work to re-open safely. Residents are asked to continue to practice physical distancing when out and about in Whistler and the Village. Continued physical distancing, hand-washing, staying home even with mild symptoms will help British Columbia move towards Phase 3 of the province’s Restart plan as soon as possible.