Goal: Increase the resilience of built assets, infrastructure and services to endure extreme weather and environmental events.
The frequency and intensity of heavy rain events, rain on snow events and drier summers are projected to increase. We must make our infrastructure more resilient to floods, debris flows, drought and related risks.
Resilient infrastructure reduces risks to human health, safety, property, transportation, services, wildlife and natural areas.
Key initiatives
- Review and improve stormwater plans to ensure they can handle climate changes.
- Update flood hazard plans for climate changes such as storm frequency and intensity.
- Update plans and policies to protect Whistler’s drinking and firefighting water supply from potential contamination and drawdown related to climate change. Climate change may cause extreme rain and snow as well as longer, hotter, drier summers.
- Develop strategies to improve public safety for extreme rain, snow, heat and wildfire and wildfire smoke. For example: transportation and service disruption.
- Develop strategies to make recreation trails and outdoor recreation assets more resilient to extreme rain and snow.
- Encourage community economic diversification in Whistler to increase climate resilience. Examples are developing cultural tourism, increasing learning and education opportunities, and weather-independent tourism and recreation.
- Integrate climate change considerations into the corporate asset management system.