The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) receives funding from the Province of British Columbia through its Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) program.
A revenue source for eligible resort municipalities since 2006, RMI funding has been invested in a range of programs and services that support and help grow tourism in Whistler.
Each municipality is required to create a Resort Development Strategy that outlines a vision and goals for the RMI Program. Not only are the funds designed to diversify the municipal tax base and revenue, investments are reviewed annually to ensure that projects are designed to increase:
- Resort activities and amenities
- Visitor activity
- Private investment
- Employment in the community
- Tourism as an economic drive
- Municipal tax revenue
RMI funded programs and projects
In 2023, the RMOW expects to receive $5.7 million in RMI funding, which is being applied to projects and services like the Rainbow Park rejuvenation.
Several stakeholders provide oversight into the annual administration of RMI funds, including the Economic Partnership Initiative Committee and the Finance and Audit Committee, as well as other committees of council on selected projects.
RMI funds help resort partners like Tourism Whistler, the Whistler Chamber of Commerce, and the Whistler Arts Council achieve goals that are aligned with RMI criteria.
RMI (along with MRDT) has been critical for Whistler to supplement property tax revenues and ensure a revenue stream directly from, and reinvested back into, the tourism economy.
