It’s usually young people in Whistler who have trouble finding housing, but a group of "pre-seniors" wants to make sure they will be able to continue living in Whistler in their senior years. Members of Whistler’s Mature Action Committee appeared before council last week to let the municipality know they want to be considered and involved in Whistler’s planning process, particularly with regard to housing. "We want to ensure that we are able to continue living here, that we remain part of the social fabric," Paul Burrows told council. "Seniors (at some point) will probably have to sell their real estate," Gordon Tomalty said. "We will require bed units to build senior housing. We want to be considered under the same umbrella as affordable housing. "Will there be additional bed units for senior housing?" Council didn’t give a yes or no answer, but acting mayor Dave Kirk agreed it was a planning issue and now is the time to work on it. The Mature Action Committee is a group of local residents in the 55-75 age group who would like to develop some clustered housing, as well as recreational and social facilities, somewhere in the valley. The seniors intend to pay for the facility themselves. Burrows estimated the Mature Action Committee and the Over 50 Club together number more than 100 people.
