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2011, a game-changing year

There can be little doubt that 2011 was a game-changing year in Whistler. It was the year the resort really came face-to-face with the post-Olympic reality with the honeymoon-glow of hosting the 2010 Games fading.
opinion_editorial1

There can be little doubt that 2011 was a game-changing year in Whistler.

It was the year the resort really came face-to-face with the post-Olympic reality with the honeymoon-glow of hosting the 2010 Games fading.

It was a year residents battled with the global fall-out of a story that went viral about the slaughter of up to 100 sled dogs run by a local operator after he claimed he came face-to-face with the reality that he couldn't afford to feed them all.

(Investigations have concluded that up to 56 sled dogs were killed. Officials have not laid charges yet in the killings nor have they confirmed that any of the dogs were killed inhumanely.)

It was a year that saw residents mad as hell about the introduction of pay-parking for the day skier lots near the village, and the continued operation of an asphalt plant on the borders of the newly built Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood — our Olympic athlete village legacy.

In the fall we saw higher than average voter turnout for a municipal election that was all about taking Whistler forward in a time of economic challenge.

It was an election that removed every incumbent from council — not just a sign that people were looking for change, but also that voters were looking for new ways to tackle what are really on-going issues such as how to keep the resort economy at least stable if not growing, and how to continue to get financial accountability at a local government level.

Of course, there are no quick fixes.

Leading up to Christmas Pique continued its push to report on financial accountability at municipal hall— along with questions on the issue from residents. This resulted in more information about the costs of the Service Review being revealed — namely that the review is in fact more than 30 per cent over budget after all, coming in at $126.868.

What makes this startling is the bumbling Pique has had to deal with in getting the true cost of the Review. Over repeated emails and interviews it has been almost impossible to pin down the cost and at one point Pique had to run a clarification after printing that the Review was over-budget.

Not so said municipal spokespeople at the time after being told by municipal staff that was the case.

But as Pique continued to push for clarification, following up on a determined resident's FOI on the costs associated with the consultant who carried out the report, it was revealed that the Review looks to be coming in at $40,000 more than the $88,000 quoted previously by municipal spokespeople.

I accept that there are many, many financial arrangements within local government that have so many moving parts to them that it can be difficult to easily find out, or sum up, an end cost — though I firmly believe it can be done.

But I do not accept that getting the true cost of the Service Review is one of them.

That municipal spokespeople and elected leaders persevered with our repeated requests for clarification should be commended, but that it has followed a route with more twists and turns than the Duffey Lake Road is unacceptable.

Who, one might ask, will be held accountable for this?

With fresh snow falling this week, the New Year's celebrations to be enjoyed and a busy resort it is easy to get complacent about the importance of this small piece of the puzzle.

But we shouldn't be.

It's not about the cost of the Review anymore it's about trusting those holding the reins of power and responsibility in Whistler.

Now more than ever we need to be focused on the resort's success together. We should not be second-guessing the information coming out of municipal hall. Residents should not have to file FOI's to check up on local government.

Financial analysts tell us that 2012 will see further deterioration in financial conditions with the economy only growing about 1.7 per cent, as a deep recession takes root in Europe — a key market for Whistler.

There may be a silver lining for Whistler in this, as it is likely the Canadian dollar will drop against the U.S. dollar, as the difficult situation in Europe drives people to invest in American currency. That is likely to make us attractive as a destination to U.S. travellers.

But how much money will be available for travel is a troublesome part of the equation, as soft job creation will mean stagnant wages — it's likely that debt levels relevant to incomes will hit a new high in 2012. This will mean that consumer spending will only be about 1.6 per cent —a concern when it comes to non-essential spending such as vacations.

As well, the World Travel and Tourism Council has revised its prediction of 5.1 per cent growth for global travel and tourism for 2012 down to 3.3 per cent.

Added to this downgrade are recent Statistics Canada figures, which show that the debt-to-income ratio rose to a record 153 per cent in the third quarter — that compares with 146 per cent in 2010 and exceeds the level in the U.S. and the U.K. It should be noted though that this ratio continues to rise mostly because incomes are going up at a slower pace that debt loads are.

Canada is sliding closer to the 160-plus threshold, which put the U.S. and the U.K. into such a difficult state four years ago.

As Whistler continues to find its place in the world it is more important than ever that local government not only act in a fiscally responsible manner, but also is seen to act that way.