With the annual housing crunch expected to reach record proportions this fall the municipality is entertaining proposals for temporary employee housing. However, a proposal for trailers or pre-fabricated buildings at the old Rainbow ski site and adjacent to Blackcomb’s existing staff housing was deferred by council Monday after the owners of the Rainbow site, Ann Chiasson and Rod Nadeau, requested a last minute consultation with Mayor Ted Nebbeling. The request was turned down as Nebbeling says it would have constituted an in-camera meeting. The proposal is expected to come back to council. The Whistler Valley Housing Society passed a resolution earlier this month to seek council’s support in establishing sites for temporary employee accommodation. In a report to council Drew Stotesbury, the municipality’s director of finance, writes: "All indications are that the coming ski season will see a critical shortage of employee accommodation unless drastic action is taken. This is confirmed by property managers, rental advertisements and employee feedback." Stotesbury adds that the temporary housing would be for two or three years and would not result in a permanent allocation of bed units. Nadeau and Chiasson eventually hope to develop the 45-acre Rainbow site as a mixed use subdivision but believe it is "perfectly situated for a temporary housing site."
