The Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) is one of 14 resort municipalities in B.C. that receive funding from the Province of British Columbia through its Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) program. The Resort Municipality Initiative (RMI) is a critical funding source for Whistler to supplement property tax revenues.
The tourism economy provides this revenue since 2006 and it is reinvested back into tourism. The RMI program is managed by the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport.
Goals of program
Supports small, tourism-based municipalities to:
- build and diversify their tourism infrastructure
- deliver exceptional visitor experiences
- incorporate sustainable tourism practices and products
Each resort municipality is required to create a three-year 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;
- employment in the community;
- tourism as an economic drive; and
- municipal tax revenue.
RMI funded programs and projects
The RMOW has invested RMI funding in programs and services that support and help grow tourism in Whistler.
Whistler received $6.57 million per year in RMI funding in 2022, 2023, and 2024. The annual amount varies depending on hotel stays.
Several community partners 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-funded projects
These are some recent Whistler initiatives funded by RMI:
- Village and park shuttle services (Lost Lake and Rainbow Parks)
- Village Renewal & Resort and Olympic Plaza impact management (including Village Stroll snow clearing, lawn spring rejuvenation, hanging baskets, annual and perennial beds, irrigation, tree replacements, village area trip hazard mitigation, outdoor furniture maintenance and replacement, and festive lighting).
- Mt. Sproatt Alpine Ranger and bear awareness programs
- Rainbow Park rejuvenation
- 21 Mile And Wedge Creek (Comfortably Numb) bridge replacements
- Recreation Trail Maps (Skywalk, Lost Lake Park, Rainbow Lake, Interpretive Forest, Train Wreck, Sproatt Alpine)
- Village Washrooms construction
- Cultural Connector development
Three-year Resort Development Strategy
The provincial government requires each resort municipality to create a 3-Year Resort Development Strategy (RDS).
The strategy outlines a vision, goals and initiatives for the Resort Municipality Initiative Program.
Proposed 2025-2027 initiatives
- Projects: 28.0%
- Shuttles: 17.0%
- Village and Resort Renewal: 53.4%