Non-profits and commercial enterprises will have to pay hundreds of dollars to use the many parks and trails around Whistler this summer and for the foreseeable future.
On Feb. 7, Whistler’s mayor and council moved to adopt an amended policy that will implement a new Non-Exclusive Use Permit (NEUP) that lays out a fee structure for non-profits and commercial operators to use the municipal trail network.
According to Resort Municipality of Whistler (RMOW) manager of village animation and events Bob Andrea, the NEUP permit will help the municipality tackle the surging number of parks and trails users in the resort. From 2019 to 2021, park usage in Whistler rose by 77 per cent.
“The original idea for NEUP was born because we were witnessing as staff and getting comments from the public [about] how busy our outdoor spaces were getting,” Andrea said in a presentation to council. “That included residents, guests, recreational activities, commercial activities, and so on. So we really wanted to try and strike a balance in use.”
The RMOW launched a pilot of the permit in the summer of 2022 with the aim of getting a better understanding of how many organizations are using local parks and trails; if the municipality could more effectively manage the number of user groups on the Valley Trail; and ensure non-profits and companies have liability insurance.
The pilot generated revenue for the municipality, though the RMOW noted that is not the primary purpose of the permits, as it only covers the cost of staff processing time. Throughout the six-month pilot, 19 non-profits and commercial groups acquired permits, bringing in $9,000 in revenue.
The fee structure is tiered to account for the total number of user visits by a group, whether the activity is focused toward adults or youth, run by a commercial enterprise or non-profit, and if the organization is locally based or from out of town.
All non-profit and commercial organizations must pay a $50 application fee, the minimum fee for groups under 250 participants. Generally speaking, the permitting fee favours non-profits that focus on providing youth service.
Under the new structure, if a youth non-profit hosted 250 to 500 users in local parks or on trails in a calendar year, it would pay $84 for a permit. That fee would rise in waves based on the number of participants to a maximum of $6,171 for more than 11,001 attendees/year. The maximum fee works out to .56 cents per person.
Local commercial operations focused on adults will have to pay significantly more, ranging from $200 for 250-500 participants to $14,630 for more than 11,001 participants. For non-local companies, the cost rises to $249 for 250-500 participants and up to $18,260 for more than 11,001 participants.
Both locally and non-locally based non-profits will pay the same rate for the permit. The fee for adult-focused non-profits ranges from $128 for 250-500 attendees to a maximum of $9,350 for more than 11,001 participants. The permit requirement does not apply to one-day events such as the annual Whistler Half Marathon and Alzheimer’s Society walk.
Overall, the pilot brought in an underwhelming amount of revenue, as the most significant commercial outdoor camp, Whistler Blackcomb’s (WB) DFX Kids Camp, changed its programming in the summer to reduce its usage of the Lost Lake area trails.
This change had the knock-on effect of reducing the congestion in the area, which the RMOW welcomed as achieving the goal of the permit. However, a spokesperson with WB confirmed that the change in programming was not due to the permit fee.
“Revenue was just over $9,000—it must be noted that that was a little lower than staff had anticipated, and that was due to a change in one of our typically larger user groups,” Andrea said. “They [WB] reduced the programming on municipal trails. It did help reduce congestion in the Lost Lake Trail System at peak times, so that was one of the desired outcomes.”
The NEUP permit will be granted annually from May 15 to Oct. 15, and organizations must reapply each year at the end of each season. Applicants must submit a report on their activities, and the RMOW will renew or reissue permits annually based on past performance.
