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RMOW seeks money from province for Sea to Sky Trail

The municipality is applying to the provincial government’s LocalMotion program to help fund the Whistler section of the Sea to Sky Trail.

The municipality is applying to the provincial government’s LocalMotion program to help fund the Whistler section of the Sea to Sky Trail.

The trail will be a multi-use trail, similar to Whistler’s Valley Trail, starting at the waterfront in Squamish and going north through Whistler, Pemberton, Mount Currie and D’Arcy up to Anderson Lake.

The trail will be built in phases, with the first phase between Squamish and Whistler. Frank Savage, planner for the municipality, said during Monday’s council meeting that planners expect to complete this section by 2010.

Savage also said that the Resort Municipality of Whistler is only responsible for building the section of the trail within municipal boundaries.

“The Sea to Sky project that is in the five year financial plan is strictly within the boundaries of the RMOW,” said Savage.

“It will complete the Function Junction to Spring Creek section of the Valley Trail… and then the trail will extend south from the Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood to the Brandywine Falls Provincial Park boundary.”

In addition, the LocalMotion funding will allow the RMOW to complete the section of the Valley Trail from Nicklaus North to the east side of Green Lake at the northern municipal boundary, said Savage.

The municipality will also apply to the LocalMotion program for six other projects: two Valley Trail projects and four improved accessibility projects.

“Last year we applied for six programs that were unsuccessful, but we have had the opportunity to update them,” said Savage.

The LocalMotion program, launched in 2006, provides $40 million over four years for capital projects in B.C. that reduce community greenhouse gas emissions, improve accessibility for seniors and people with disabilities and support community actions to advance the government’s ActNow B.C. program. The province has agreed to provide up to 50 per cent of funding of approved projects, with up to $1 million being granted per year per municipality.

 

Council asks for more WHA involvement in housing projects

During Monday’s council meeting, Councillor Gord McKeever spearheaded a discussion on greater involvement of the Whistler Housing Authority in developing housing projects.

“Over the last couple of years, we have considered housing projects in rapid succession, and in terms of the advisory committees that we have for council, there is a gap,” said McKeever.

“What I have been trying over the last couple of years is to insert the WHA into the due process and get a sense of the livability of these projects.”

McKeever cited two “great” successes that have resulted in discussions with the WHA: the Whistler Green guidelines and improved product mix at the future Cheakamus Crossing neighbourhood.

He then passed a notice of motion for council to direct staff to establish a policy of consulting with the WHA board of directors on the appropriateness of residential housing proposals and including board comments in reports to council.

McKeever’s comments were supported by other council members, including Councillors Tim Wake and Eckhard Zeidler.

“It has been a bit of a challenge to get the Whistler Housing Authority board integrated into the approval process in a positive way… and certainly we are moving in that direction,” said Wake.

 

Buses may be used for summer field trips

The debate on the safety of 15-passenger vans continues, with the issue brought up again at Monday night’s Whistler council meeting.

The community has been debating the subject after a fatal crash in New Brunswick killed seven children in January and the Canada safety council called for the vehicles to be banned from transporting kids.

Bob McPherson. general manager of community life, explained that the municipality has been looking into the issue since the accident. He added that it is not practical to continue using the vans for field trips in the summer.

“We are going to be looking for a vehicle to replace these, likely a 24-passenger bus,” said McPherson

The vans are used primarily to move kids from Spring Creek elementary school and Ecole La Passerelle to Myrtle Philip elementary school, as well as for field trips to Pemberton, Vancouver, and elsewhere during the summer months.

Staff have gone through the literature to look at where there are questions of safety,” said McPherson.

“Rest assured that the way our vehicles are being used, from the information we have, is safe or safer than any other vehicle use.”

McPherson said that most research shows two main factors lead to dangerous use of passenger vans: overloading and speeding.

“We don’t overload our vehicles, and we always have less than 15 passengers,” said McPherson.

“We recommend that our vehicles drive no faster than 70 kilometres per hour… We are also making sure that every kid is buckled in, and starting July, every child under 80 pounds will be in a booster seat.”

Vans are also regularly maintained by mechanics, inspected daily, and all drivers have a Class 4 license along with two additional days of training on how to handle the vehicle if it gets out of control.

The subject was brought up after Councillor Ralph Forsyth asked staff what work they had been doing to see if the two passenger vans in town are safe enough to transport children.

The municipality currently owns two 2003-04 Ford 250 extended wagon vans.