Looking to get caught up on the latest from Council? We’ve pulled together some key stories from the June 9 Regular Council meeting, including:
- Updated strategy protects long-term health of Village Stroll trees
- Public washroom access amended for Main Street building
- Contract awarded for Whistler Cay watermain replacement project
For all the details, find council reports and video recordings of the full meetings at whistler.ca.
Council endorses strategy to protect long-term health of Village Stroll trees
At the June 9 Regular meeting, Council endorsed staff’s updated Village Stroll Tree Strategy as a guiding framework to protect, enhance and adapt Whistler’s urban forest.
“Trees along the Village Stroll are essential to the Village’s identity, livability, and economic vitality, contributing to environmental, social, and aesthetic benefits, while reinforcing Whistler’s vision as a resort community immersed in nature,” said Parks Planner Connor Eccles.
Extensive planting throughout the 1980s and ’90s established the Village Stroll’s urban forest. Over time, redevelopment, constrained growing conditions, climate change, wildfire risk and competing land-use priorities have impacted tree health, longevity and management.
Along with raising awareness of the vital role trees play along the Village Stroll and ensure their long-term health, the strategy “responds to challenges and opportunities by aiming to improve site conditions, enhance species diversity and resilience, and expand overall tree canopy coverage,” Eccles explained.
An inventory and assessment of the trees along the Village Stroll was completed in 2024 by Diamond Head Consulting Ltd., paired with further analysis by RMOW staff to evaluate species diversity, asset value and ecosystem services. That analysis confirmed that many Village trees heavily rely on irrigation and fall below best-practice standards. Without a proactive approach, staff said they expect to see continued tree loss and missed integration opportunities.
“It would be interesting to imagine what the Village would be without all [the trees],” said Councillor Jeff Murl. “This [report] really shows how much consideration we give to [the trees] and hopefully the business community and the owners there see that it is an important part of creating that vibrancy that makes their businesses successful.”
Read the full report here.
Council endorses amending public washroom access at Main Street building
At the June 9 Regular meeting, Whistler Council debated and ultimately endorsed a recommendation from staff to modify public washroom access times at a building on Main Street.
In 2023, the strata council at Market Pavillion, located at 4368 Main Street in Whistler Village and home to several commercial businesses, apartments and short-term rental units, applied to modify its covenant to amend the hours of its second-floor washrooms. The covenant, from 1996, states that the washrooms be open to the public between 9 a.m. and midnight daily. Citing concerns with increasing vandalism and other destructive behaviours in and around the washrooms since 2018, the strata originally requested removing the covenant requirement to provide public-access washrooms, which was not supported by staff.
Staff worked with the strata to maintain public access to the washrooms while still addressing concerns, ultimately landing on limiting washroom hours to 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily, with key-only access for patrons of businesses in the building outside of those hours.
“I believe staff have recognized the challenges of running late-hour public washrooms through our own operating experiences and find that, in some ways, yes, we are reducing public access by allowing businesses to lock the doors at 8 o’clock. But we’re increasing access to the customers of those businesses in a more controlled manner,” explained GM of Climate Action, Planning and Development Services Dale Mikkelsen.
Council debated the prospect of amending public washroom access.
“I feel like there should be some kind of human dignity requirement that there are bathrooms available and you shouldn’t have to be a paying customer because anatomy doesn’t work that way,” said Councillor Jen Ford. “I’m generally not supportive of losing an amenity that we negotiated long before this council.”
Councillor Jeff Murl argued the shift in hours strikes a reasonable compromise that maintains public access and helps protect the washroom facilities.
“You have to be able to adjust these [covenants] 30 years on and I think this is a reasonable adjustment and not a huge loss to the community. If you’re going into one of these businesses, you still have access,” he said. “You have to have a middle ground, and I think this is reasonable.”
The recommendation passed, with Councillors Ford and Jessie Morden opposed.
Read the full report here.
Council awards $500K contract for Whistler Cay watermain project
At the June 9 Regular meeting, Council voted to award a contract worth nearly $500,000 associated with a watermain and pressure-reducing valve replacement project in Whistler Cay.
The project is to upgrade aging water infrastructure primarily installed in the 1980s and early ’90s along Balsam Way, Cedar Grove Lane and Crabapple Drive.
The Whistler Cay watermain is a critical component of the Village water distribution system, supplying water to the core Village area and surrounding neighbourhoods. Deterioration due to age and corrosive soil has increased the risk of service interruptions and unplanned repairs and maintenance.
The contract, awarded to R.F. Binnie & Associates Ltd. with the lowest bid, is for design, tendering, and construction administration services. Design is slated for 2026, with construction anticipated in 2027 and 2028.
Read the full report here.
To attend an upcoming meeting, check out the Council meeting Schedule. Agendas and Minutes are available online. To connect with Council, consider Borrowing a Councillor from the Library’s Unusual Items Collection, or get in touch with them individually by phone or email.