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Committee trying to tackle village noise, rowdiness

Next meeting will determine course of action

RCMP are encouraged by the latest round of dialogue over village rowdiness, although the officer that attended the first meeting of the informal Whistler Noise Abatement Committee says there is still a long way to go.

"It was a very productive meeting in the sense that (the committee) provides us with an entity to be able to address these issues," said Staff Sergeant Marc Lavergne of the Whistler-Pemberton RCMP Detachment. "I think the organization and formalization of this group is exactly what we needed, now we just need to get the wheels rolling and get going. Like any new organization it takes a little planning and time for that to happen."

Lavergne acknowledged that meeting participants were not in agreement over how to handle the issue of rowdiness in the village, but says that is why the group will be successful.

"What makes it work is the difference of opinions," he said. "The meeting was a cross-section from all the different facets of the municipality, and everyone perceives and foresees things from different points of view. When we get together like that and share these different points, we can come out with a great resolve.

"I’m really enthusiastic. I’m hoping we’re making headway, and can make things a little better."

The July 13 meeting was a follow-up of a general meeting held on June 16 to discuss the issues of noise, rowdiness, and violence in Whistler Village. An estimated 125 people attended the first meeting, which was hosted by the Delta Whistler Village Suites hotel in response to complaints surrounding the May long weekend. There were no shortage of ideas put forward, but it was clear that there needed to be a formal process for any of suggestions to be implemented in order to be fair to all of the stakeholders.

Dennis Hilton, a North Vancouver consultant who owns a unit in the Adara Hotel, took it upon himself to organize the next step and facilitate the July 13 meeting. Only nine representatives turned out, although several other stakeholders, including delegates from the hotel industry and municipality, remain involved in the process.

Once the group established a general frame of reference, identifying the problems and root causes, the committee got to work on solutions, says Hilton.

Many of those ideas have been suggested before, including in a 2004 report from Bylaw supervisor Sandra Smith, "but nothing much happened with that document, which we’re using as a basis of discussion going forward," said Hilton, adding that a more formal committee is required to ensure that suggestions are implemented.

"At this time we’re identifying what we’re calling the low hanging fruit, the small things we can do immediately and get support for, addressing issues of noise, vandalism, public drunkenness, etcetera."

Hilton has collected the ideas brought forward in the meeting in a summary that was sent to committee members and other interested parties. From that list the members will need to identify and agree on specific recommendations and courses of action, which they will then attempt to implement.

Because the committee is in the brainstorming stage, Hilton says it’s too early to make most suggestions public. However, he gave a few examples of simple programs that might have an impact.

"One idea… is to develop a guest and visitor guide to Whistler with dos and don’ts spelled out," said Hilton. "It’s clear that we host people from all over the world, and in some communities it’s perfectly acceptable to walk down the street with open alcohol in hand – how do you inform somebody that’s not acceptable here without angering the guest or causing too much of a ruckus?

"The answer would be to give that guest a piece of paper when they register that explains the laws and what’s acceptable."

Another idea that was successful in Vancouver, and is favoured by bar and nightclub owners, would be to allow patrons more time to disperse after last call by extending hours. Letting patrons out at the same general time creates more traffic and noise in the village, longer lines for cabs, and other issues.

Hilton hopes to finish collecting suggestions before the next meeting, which he hopes will take place by early August. From there, he says the group will reach consensus on the best ideas to attempt to implement.

"The most important thing is the unanimous agreement of all nine people in that room that the committee needs to continue, and that the most important way the committee can build credibility is to get results – doing things, improving things, and taking action," said Hilton.

Statistically, Lavergne says the number of incidents reported this year is so far on par with last year, even though there are more tourists this year. "Our policing activities are at about the same level they were as last year as well, so from a policing perspective we’re very pleased with it," he said. "We can be doing more to reduce the number of incidents, but it’s a relief that things are not getting worse."

The media is excluded from the committee at this point, but Hilton says that will no longer be the case once strategy and membership is formalized.

"There’s no way to go forward with any of this without the media involved, and we need to be as transparent as possible, but before we can do that we need to get our ducks in arrow. It would be a mistake to give a list of recommendations if the members were not in agreement."