The mayor and six councillors were elected on November 15, 2014 for a four-year term.
Mayor Nancy Wilhelm-Morden
Nancy Wilhelm-Morden was born and raised in Kitchener, Ontario. She came to Whistler in 1973 for a two-week holiday and soon made Whistler her permanent home.
Throughout the 70s, she attended Capilano College and Simon Fraser University on a part-time basis while living and working in Whistler. She held a variety of different jobs during that period including working as a server, a first aid attendant, and as part of the highway drilling, blasting and flagging crew. When Nancy and Ted (her future husband) arrived in Whistler, housing was in short supply so they lived in a cabin in the woods for four years.
Nancy completed her law degree at the University of British Columbia in 1983 and was called to the bar a year later. She practiced law in Vancouver until her first daughter was born and relocated her practice to Whistler in 1987. The following year, she became a partner in Race and Company, a law firm based in Whistler.
Nancy has served on six councils over the years:
December 1984 - December 1986 (2 years)
December 1988 - December 1990 (2 years)
December 1996 - December 1999 (3 years)
December 2005 - December 2008 (3 years)
December 2011 - December 2014 (3 years)
Re-elected as Mayor in December 2014
Nancy and her husband Ted have two daughters; Sarah and Jessie. In addition to downhill skiing, she enjoys cross-country skiing, running and hiking. She is an avid gardener, loves being in the kitchen and enjoys travelling.
Councillor Jack Crompton
Jack Crompton has deep roots in Whistler and is passionate about the future of his community. His grandparents were original shareholders in the Garibaldi Lift Company and built the Clock Tower Hotel.
Jack's professional life has focused mainly on transportation and software. He founded Whistler Resort Cabs and operated the company until 2008. He is now President of RideBooker; a company that offers ground transportation (taxi, bus, and limousine) across Canada and the United States. His company operates the Whistler Shuttle, a shuttle service that links Vancouver to Whistler. Jack also works with Empowered Startups — a Whistler-based technology company incubator.
Jack likes to talk politics of any description. He is fascinated by political history, local government and international affairs.
Jack and his wife Carolyn have four children; Georgia, Margaret, Van and Harriet. They enjoy "the beautiful game", mountain biking, skiing and being in the mountains.
Councillor Jen Ford
In 2012 Jen was elected to represent residents and waitlist participants on the board of the Whistler Housing Authority. She also volunteered for two years on the board of Whistler Animals Galore.
Originally from Thornhill, Ontario, Jen always had the itch to get to the mountains. While studying Political Science at York University, she joined the Canadian Ski Patrol System and volunteered at a variety of Ontario ski hills and clubs. After university, she headed for the west coast. Jen has worked in the Retail, Sales, and Operations divisions at Whistler Blackcomb. She is passionate about sharing Whistler with the world.
Jen and her husband, John, welcomed their son in 2013. They are actively engaged with a booming group of young families that seek to raise their children in the corridor.
Councillor John Grills
John Grills was born and raised in Toronto. In the mid 70s, he planted his western roots after spending a few winters in Whistler and summers on Vancouver’s beaches as a lifeguard.
His career in the hospitality industry began with the Keg Restaurants in 1979, which eventually brought him back to Whistler to open the Keg at the Mountain. He later worked at Araxi and also started the Savage Beagle.
A management position at Expo 86 took him back to Vancouver where he met his future wife, Lorraine. They returned to Whistler as a couple in 1987 and he continued his career managing various restaurants, including Blackcomb Mountain food operations.
John and his wife have three children; Chantelle, a forestry student at the University of British Columbia, Brendan, a science and aviation student at the University of Waterloo, and Ryan, who is currently attending Whistler Secondary School.
John has sat on various committees including the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, the Restaurant Association of Whistler, Tourism Whistler’s Commercial Core, One Whistler and chaired the Liquor Licensing Advisory Committee. He is also the president of Le Chamois strata council and was awarded the Business Person of the Year in 1996 and Coach of the Year for Whistler Minor Hockey in 2005.
Councillor Sue Maxwell
Drawn to Whistler by its scenery, healthy active live style, friendly people and dynamic community spirit, Sue has lived in Emerald with her partner Johnny Mikes and their two dogs since 2008.
Sue grew up in Kitimat, BC and went to UBC to earn a Bachelor of Science. After completing an internship at the Calgary General Hospital, Sue worked as a dietitian in health care facilities for ten years before returning to university to earn a Masters of Environment and Management at Royal Roads University.
She subsequently started her own business, Ecoinspire, which has provided planning, program design and waste reduction expertise at the local and provincial level. She has volunteered with the Community Advisory Group for the Official Community Plan (OCP), the Squamish Lillooet Regional District’s Solid Waste Plan Monitoring Committee, the Whistler 2020 Materials and Solid Waste task force 2008–2010, AWARE and the Recycling Council of BC Board as well as on zero waste initiatives.
Councillor Andrée Janyk
Andrée Janyk started skiing at the age of two, and from that early age the mountains and skiing have always been a part of her life. The Janyk family made Whistler their permanent home in 1995.
In her early years Andrée aspired to be an Olympian, but fell short. She went on to complete a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology at Simon Fraser University and then a master’s degree as a PhD candidate at the University of Brussels. This rich international experience has been an instructive aspect to her life.
Andrée held a variety of positions: from presenting scientific papers in Europe, to ski coaching in the U.S., Canada and Europe, to leading the first Fitness Leadership Certificate program at Capilano University and Fitness Appraisal program in B.C.
Andrée was active on many national committees such as the First Summit on Fitness back in the 1980s. She started an organic food coop in 1980 that was active for 15 years and served 60 families and oriented many more to the benefits of organic and local food.
She also held the position of Whistler school trustee for the Sea-to-Sky School District for 12 years. She was a dedicated volunteer and was recognized in 2010 as the Whistler Volunteer of the Year. Other honours are BC Alpine Volunteer for the Year, Whistler Cup Volunteer of the Year and recently a Sport BC community hero.
Andrée passed away peacefully with her family around her on June 16, 2017.
Councillor Steve Anderson
Born in North Vancouver, Steve Anderson moved to Whistler in 1974 to follow the dream of living in the Coast Mountains of B.C. Steve has pursued vocations in both construction and tourism as an owner of contracting companies, private custom home building and an outdoor adventure company.
After competing on the regional professional ski racing tour during the 1980s Steve began work towards mechanized mountain guiding accreditations. Post-secondary education includes VCC Langara for sciences and Capilano University Tourism Management course offerings.
He currently operates a trail riding and corporate retreat business in Pemberton during summer months and continues to work as a mountain guide part time with local heli-ski operations. Steve and his wife Sue have one daughter, Marli.
