By the time you read this, all the pomp and circumstance will have taken place, and Whistler’s new local government will be official.
So now it’s time to put our newly elected officials to work.
The campaign that just concluded was not overly contentious, but it did contain a few key themes which should not be ignored in the weeks and months to come.
Chief among them are issues related to housing, affordability, and health and well-being.
All represent complex challenges, none of which will be solved overnight or with a single, simple policy shift.
But as our new council sets its four-year workplan, here are just a few of the things we think it should focus on.
A SOCIAL HOUSING POLICY
It was pointed out to Pique recently, after it was learned that the Whistler Valley Housing Society (WVHS) is in early talks to buy one of the as-yet-unbuilt apartment buildings in Cheakamus Crossing Phase 2, that there is a sizeable gap in Whistler’s housing policy.
Presumably, the deal would allow the WVHS to house participants in Zero Ceiling’s Work 2 Live program, and other vulnerable, underserved segments of the local population.
But while the discussion is still in its infancy, without a proper municipal policy in place for such things as social housing, any such deal is premature.
It’s true that Whistler has had great success, through the Whistler Housing Authority, in housing its workforce locally over the years. But it is also true that many people are underhoused, or have already been forced out of the community.
As far as Whistler’s housing policy goes, social housing represents a significant gap.
Some might disagree, and argue that municipalities shouldn’t dabble in housing at all; Some might actually prefer it that way.
But our new mayor and council should take this challenge head-on. Keep building housing, yes, but also make a firm commitment to fix local policy, wherever it needs fixing. That could be shoring up data collection, creating new policies focused on living standards and vulnerable populations, or tweaking existing policies to ensure the best use of our local inventory.
Yes, housing is challenging everywhere. But that doesn’t mean we should turn our backs to indignities happening in our own community while we wait for someone else to solve our problems for us.
It’s time to ask the hard questions and confront the hard truths about housing in Whistler.
URGENT SUPPORT FOR WHISTLER 360
A close second behind housing in terms of local priorities, Whistler locals need long-term health-care solutions, and they need them fast.
It is now estimated that 1 million British Columbians do not have a family doctor, and with Town Plaza Medical Clinic’s closure in May of this year, it’s safe to say a fair number of Whistlerites fall under that category.
Luckily, the resort is blessed with a team of passionate, dedicated health-care workers who are leading the charge on finding answers through the Whistler 360 Health Collaborative, a non-profit working to develop a community-governed, collaborative primary care service in Whistler.
Last fall, the collaborative detailed its ambitious vision for a primary care centre that would dramatically transform health-care delivery in the resort. The centre is aimed at improving physician accessibility and offering a more holistic care model that would include general practitioners, nurse practitioners, and a range of other health-care professionals under one roof.
Dr. Karin Kausky, vice chair of Whistler 360, said the group plans to begin formal operations in January.
“We are looking forward to working with mayor and council on securing expanded space that will allow us to grow the number of providers, to ensure everyone in Whistler has access to primary care,” Kausky said in an email, adding that the Whistler 360 board is very grateful for all the support it has received so far.
I know it likely doesn’t need to be said, but if there is anything our new mayor and council can do to expedite this process, it should be among the first orders of business after inauguration day.
WHERE THE @!#$ IS OUR REGIONAL TRANSIT?
Pique has been beating this long dead horse almost as long as local officials have been asking provincial leaders to step up to the plate with funding.
But it bewilders us that the Sea to Sky still does not have regional transit.
Having buses running regularly from Mount Currie to the Lower Mainland would open so many doors for corridor residents in terms of access to housing, jobs, health-care and more. It would also improve traffic congestion, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Our local leaders know this. The province knows this. And yet…
A study released in 2017 pegged the costs to get regional transit up and running at about $3.31 million—with $1.9 million of the spend to be split amongst six local governments.
Inflation and rising fuel costs will have pushed that estimated spend much higher here in 2022, but it still seems so marginal when you take the broader picture into consideration: six local governments, a relatively minor expenditure, and massive, immediate benefits.
Why are we sitting on our hands, here, exactly? Clearly the strategy of waiting for the province to take pity on us isn’t working. Get it done already.
AFFORDABILITY RELIEF, PLEASE
Lastly, we hope our new council takes very seriously the impacts of inflation and unaffordability on local residents—because expenses keep increasing across the board, and new fees just keep piling up.
The announcement last month that Marketplace will no longer offer a free hour of parking was just another kick in the gut for downtrodden Whistler locals.
Even if a young person can find a place to live in Whistler this winter, they’ll break the bank just trying to make ends meet.
Keeping in mind that nothing is ever free, can Whistler do more to ease the pain for locals? Could council, during its upcoming budget deliberations, shift some spending at muni hall to offer some small relief in the way of local parking passes in the village or at our parks? Or perhaps free bus passes for locals?
It’s not much, but every little bit helps when you’re living paycheque to paycheque.
